Christina Haack's daughter, Taylor El Moussa, is becoming the spitting image of her mom as she enters her teenage years. The 14-year-old has largely stayed out of family photos in recent months; however, the Christmas celebration called for a sweet portrait that highlighted her striking resemblance to her mother.
Taylor's dad, Tarek El Moussa, took to Instagram on December 30 to share a belated festive pyjama photo featuring his daughter Taylor and son Brayden, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Christina. The family picture also included Tarek's wife Heather Rae El Moussa, and their son, Tristan Jay El Moussa.
The family wore red-and-white tartan pyjamas as they posed in front of their towering Christmas tree, adorned with matching checkered baubles and illuminated by warm fairy lights.
© InstagramTaylor looked identical to her mom Christina with her luscious long blonde locks and sweet smile. The preteen wore minimal makeup with a glossy lip and a pinch of blush. "Better late than never….. Our annual Christmas Jammie photo," Tarek captioned the post.
Back in April, Taylor was noticeably absent from the blended family's vacation photographs. After the trip, both Christina and Heather took to Instagram to share photos from it, both starting off with the same snap of them posing with their significant others. However, neither post included a photo featuring Taylor, who has shied away from appearing on her family's social media in recent years.
© Instagram"And yes Tay is here too….she doesn't want to be pictured," clarified Heather in the caption. The comments section under the post was instead flooded with praise for how they have handled their blended family, with one fan writing: "I so love how you all have become good friends! Blended families are great!"
Blended families
Despite Christina and Tarek’s positive co-parenting relationship, navigating a blended family can still be challenging. Family mediator and parenting specialist, Paige Harley, spoke to us about the emotional landscape of blended families. "In my experience, blended families function best when step-parents focus on building connection rather than stepping into an authority role right away or at all," she said. "Kids really don’t need a second 'parent', what they respond to most is a calm, steady adult who helps them feel safe. When there’s tension between homes, that neutral presence can make a huge difference."
The HGTV star has been married three times, first to Tarek from 2009 to 2018, with whom she shares daughter Taylor and son Brayden, then to Ant Anstead from 2018 to 2021, with whom she shares son Hudson, and lastly to Josh Hall. Her third marriage ended in 2024 and quickly became messy, with the two taking public jabs at each other on social media.
Details of the settlement revealed that Josh was awarded multiple properties, cars, and a one-time payment of $300,000. Christina also covered his $40,000 attorney fees and paid him an additional sum of $100,000 last year.
Paige also spoke to us about the role of a step-parent. "One of the biggest challenges of step-parenting is understanding what your role is – and isn't. You are not a replacement for the child’s parent, you are an additional, supportive adult who can provide guidance, stability, and care when needed. Your role will develop at the child’s pace, not yours, and respecting existing parental bonds is crucial for building trust," she explained.
