Jenna Bush Hager Lets Her 3 Kids Be Who They Are - She Learned This from Her Loving Parents Who Were

June 2024 · 7 minute read

Hal, Mila, Poppy, Henry and Jenna Hager ┃Henry Hager, Mila and Jenna Bush Hager ┃Laura Bush, George W. Bush and Jenna Bush Hager ┃Source: instagram.com/jennabhager ┃Getty Images

American author Jenna Bush Hager is a mother of three kids, two daughters, and a son. She instills the same values her parents taught her as a child in her kids.

Jenna is the daughter of former US President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush. She was born on November 25, 1981, in Dallas, Texas, and has a fraternal twin sister, Barbara Bush.

U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush pose with daughters Jenna (R) and Barbara (L) on May 10, 2008 near Crawford, Texas ┃Source: Getty Images

The TV personality previously worked as a teacher in Baltimore and penned "Ana's Story," which became a New York Times bestseller.

Jenna also became a correspondent for the "TODAY" show in 2009. She was named the new co-host of the show's fourth hour with Hoda Kotb in February 2019, replacing Kathie Lee Gifford, who retired as an anchor.

Jenna's Parents Raised Her Freely

Jenna grew up in the public eye, and despite being a member of the First Family, she was not raised in a strict household. The journalist—whose grandparents were US President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush—revealed her mom and dad were not entirely authoritative.

Jenna was a naughty teenager growing up and had a lot of guy friends whom she blamed whenever something went wrong. She realized how her parents let her get away with being disobedient:

"I realized just how not strict my parents were. I mean, they were not strict."

The NBC star disclosed that even when she asked them to go out on a date with a boy, and they caught her in the act, they would brush it off:

"They didn't want to let me go on a 'car date,' but when they caught me on a 'car date,' they were like, 'Fine,' you know. They gave us a very long leash."

However, one thing that George W. and Laura do not tolerate from their kids is lying. Their two daughters once lied to them about sleeping at a friend's house while it turned out that they were at a high school party.

Jenna recalled the incident on "Hoda & Jenna," recounting that she had told her parents about "spending the night at Ferrell Fields' house." To her shock, the couple showed up at the party:

"They took me and Barbara out of that party. They weren't strict, but if they said 'no' and we went behind their back..."

As part of their punishment, Jenna had to sit and do puzzles with her parents while all the other kids went out to have fun. George W. was the governor of Texas at the time, but he and Laura laid down the law for their daughters by grounding them.

Jenna and Barbara graduated from Austin High School in 2000, only months before their father was elected as the new head of state. Meanwhile, their mother attempted to be a "cool" parent but had some "cringe" moments when they were growing up.

Regardless, Laura kept her composure, raising her girls, and her youngest daughter commended her for that. Jenna said her mom had the most calming demeanor:

"She was the best. She was the most calm human that it was almost, we couldn't understand it. We could not rattle her. But she was our steady rock of a mom."

Jenna previously revealed that she appreciated her parents because they allowed her to maneuver around the neighborhood without being guarded. She said her mother and father had a "hands-off" approach regarding her and her older sister being outside.

Laura and George W. gave their children the freedom to be just kids—something Jenna desires for her children. She is a mom of three and shares her daughters Mila, Poppy, and Hal with her husband, Henry Hager. Jenna wants her brood to be less needy.

Jenna's 3 Kids & Her Husband of 14 Years

Jenna and Henry got married in 2008. They welcomed their first child together, Margaret "Mila," in 2013, followed by their second, Poppy, in 2015. The couple's youngest child, Hal, was born in April 2019.

The doting mom revealed her two oldest kids were thrilled to become big sisters, so much so that they bragged about it to everyone they came across. Jenna announced the arrival of her third child on Instagram alongside photos of the family of four.

She divulged her son was named after his father and grandfather, Harold. Jenna and the businessman were still deciding on a name for the new family member when their daughters came into the delivery room and called their new brother "Hal pal," so they went with it.

Jenna has previously admitted that raising her three kids was not easy but that she was fulfilled being a mom, which made her feel joy. The TV host expressed that she was doing whatever she could to show her children how much she loved them.

Jenna's oldest daughter Mila has her grandmothers Laura and Margaret Hager's personalities. She is full of life and likes to laugh and read books. The proud mom said her child is empathetic and kind.

Mila and her younger sister Poppy are close in age and have similarities, but their mother never compares them. Jenna said she also ensures that whenever her daughters feel "scared or confused" about something, they have a safe space to do that with her and Henry.

While Jenna "enjoys" parenting her young ones, she noted that her one and only baby boy was special, adding Hal was unique and she adored him much.

She also expressed she makes sure that her brood feels her love: "I'm making sure that each child has the love that I know I feel for them."

The Texas native, along with her husband Henry, always tells her girls to be their unapologetic selves and lauds her mom for a job well done in raising her and her sister.

The blonde beauty described Laura as gracious, as she keeps the rest of the family calm whenever they experience difficult times. She said she learned from her mom that everyone had a choice in how they wanted their homes to be for the children's sake.

Jenna previously spoke about feeling guilty as a mom but decided to stop worrying about her parenting mistakes. She said it was not worth the heartache because she could always start the next day afresh.

Like many families, Jenna has a family tradition during the holidays. She once revealed that her grandmother made hand-embroidered stockings for her and her sister. Now that she has kids, they hang the stockings, including some of the things her children received from their great-great-grandmother.

Jenna admits she never understood motherhood before becoming a mother herself. She looks up to her mom, who inspired her by creating a happy home for them. When people compare her to Laura, she takes it as a compliment.

As a parent, Jenna realizes her mother "taught her how to be a mom," but her kids are teaching her what it means to be one. She still attempts to "keep up" with Laura, who consistently shows her what parenting is about through the years, and Laura advises her to take parenting one day at a time and to live in the moment.

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