Like many kids, Jenna Bush Hager's eldest child Mila can be brutally honest at times. These days, that's especially true when it comes to her mom's physical appearance.
On TODAY with Hoda & Jenna Sept. 21, the mother of three recalled a recent conversation she had with the 9-year-old that left a lasting impression.
“I think I’m fairly attractive, I feel good about myself. But one of my children is always checking me out,” Jenna began telling Hoda Kotb, adding that Mila always seems to be examining her flaws.
When Jenna recently got home from a business trip to Scotland, she was excited to see her daughter and they shared a tight hug right away, but the mood quickly changed.
“Immediately she kind of looked back and looked at me and goes, ‘Oh, you’re right mom.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m right about what?’ And she’s like, ‘You do look better in makeup.’”
Hoda couldn't help but laugh at this point and Jenna went on to describe how she handled the situation.
“I was like, ‘Mila, I don’t think I said I look better in makeup.’ And Henry's (Jenna’s husband) kind of standing, just observing," she said.
“And she’s like, ‘Well, what are those red things (on your face)?’ and I’m like, ‘The red things?’ She’s like, ‘Maybe, you know, let’s come and have lunch but I think you should put on some makeup.”
Jenna was amused but understandably surprised by her daughter's reaction, and she also shared another recent conversation she had with Mila that left her feeling the same way.
"In passing, I had my hair up, I was exercising the other day. She just walked by and goes, 'You gotta do something about those grays,'" Jenna said.
Hoda got a kick out of the story and said it's particularly funny because Mila is acting in a way that's "the total opposite" of Jenna. Hoda went on to share a story about her own daughter Hope, 3.
"We were really close together because I'd been gone, I was in England. I came back and we had a special date, and she goes, 'Your nose is broken,'" the mother of two explained. "I go, 'What?' She goes, 'Look on the top, it's broken. Is mine gonna be broken like that one day?'"
Kids really do say the darndest things, but rather than feel insulted, Jenna and Hoda choose to take their amusing antics with a grain of salt and focus on the fun times with their children.
On Sept 16., Hoda brought Hope and her other daughter Haley, 5, to work with her to enjoy the Little Big Town concert on the TODAY plaza.
Jenna also had a fun-filled summer with Mila, Poppy, 7, and Hal, 3 and spent time at the beach, vacationed in Maine with extended family and celebrated Hal's 3rd birthday.