Joanna Gaines says her parenting style has changed a lot since giving birth to her 4-year-old son, Crew.
During her Nov. 8 visit to TODAY, the "Fixer Upper" star, 44, who shares Crew and four other children with husband, co-star and Magnolia co-founder Chip Gaines, told co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager that little Crew has inspired her to to slow down and enjoy life.
"He's like my little wisdom. I'm like, I can learn more from Crew — just the way he teaches me to live and to notice things," said Joanna Gaines.
When Hoda asked Gaines if she’s become a different kind of mom since Crew's arrival, Gaines jokingly apologized to her daughters, Ella, 16, and Emmie, 12, who were watching their mom’s interview from the wings of Studio 1A.
“I’m sorry, girls,” Gaines told them before admitting that she's become less uptight as a parent. “I’m a little more light, and, like, a little more airy. Not so controlling,” she said.
The Magnolia mogul, whose oldest son, Drake, 17, is heading off to college next year, also told Hoda and Jenna that she enjoys being a mom to kids of all ages.
“Just the perspective of having an almost 18-year-old and then this 4-year-old, I feel like is such a gift,” said the busy mom, who also shares son Duke, 14, with her husband.
During the interview, Gaines, whose candid new memoir, “The Stories We Tell,” was released this week, said she has been privately redefining the role she will play in the future of her and her husband’s media and retail business.
“At 44, I feel like I’m stepping into a new season,” said Gaines. “Like, I have half my life, it’s been great, but now I want to really be intentional about what I carry with me as I move forward.”
Gaines said she is taking a step back while she figures out her next move — and she's excited by the possibilities.
“Life is moving so fast, and for me, I think the biggest thing is just embracing this moment as a mother, as a wife, and then even with Magnolia, that feels like our baby.”
As a mother, Gaines sees herself as a guardian of her children's "youth and innocence."
“As their mother, I think my biggest job is how do I keep them where youth and innocence is something that they relish in, that they love it,” she told TODAY digital.
“Life is coming and it is what it is,” she continued. “But right now, these moments are the best moments of your life. And remember these moments — they will one day be healing for you when you’re older.”