Life with three kids is hectic enough — especially when one child is a newborn. TODAY co-host Jenna Bush Hager opened up to People magazine about juggling her work schedule and her family after returning from maternity leave.
During the interview, Hager shared how she holds onto happiness amidst the chaos. She said that she sometimes feels that she has "missed a lot," but wants to focus on the moments that she does have.
"I try to focus on what I can do and what I do bring because I think if we beat ourselves up for everything we miss, then we're not as happy of a parent as we can be," she said.
Family time is a priority, Jenna said. Sometimes her husband Henry travels for work, leaving Jenna with six-year-old Margaret "Mila" Laura, four-year-old Poppy Louise, and three-and-a-half-month-old Henry "Hal" Harold.
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"If I'm alone with all three kids, which I have been because my husband travels for work, then it's tricky," she said. "I’ll put the baby to bed first and then I’ll read with (the girls)... but they're not asleep. They come out a thousand times."
Jenna said that she wants to make sure her children always know that they are top priority.
"Since Henry and I both have big jobs, I’m hoping that our kids realize the biggest job and the biggest priority is them," she said.
A big milestone in her family recently was when Mila learned to read, something that Jenna called "one of the most magnificently beautiful times in my life."
"It's just such a simple thing, but it's something I love so much,” Jenna said. "You hear these clichés in parenting and they’re all true. 'Time goes so fast.' 'The days are long, but the years are short.' All of that is a cliché because it’s real, but nobody tells you about these little moments in parenting that will mean the most to you."