Jenna Bush Hager and her Today co-star, Sheinelle Jones, shared how their stance on maintaining privacy for their kids had changed over the years, particularly with the prevalence of social media.
Jenna, who shares her kids Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and Hal, six, with her husband, Henry Hager, revealed that she had to reevaluate what she shared about her children on the Today show after an eye-opening conversation with her eldest daughter.
Maintaining their kids' privacy
© Instagram"When your kids are young, they can't state if something makes them uncomfortable, and the older they get, they can," she told Parents. "A couple years ago, Mila went to camp, and I read her letter on the air because it was like, 'I'm homesick.'"
"And she was like, 'Mom, that's embarrassing. That was for you,'" Jenna recalled.
© Instagram"It was such a good lesson because that changed everything for me. I sort of ask myself before I speak, like, is this for me? Is this like information that she just wants safe inside our home, and is it my story to tell, or is it her story and I'm telling it?"
"I think both of us put the privacy of our children and the happiness of our children above anything that has to do with television," the 44-year-old added.
The power of social media
Jenna and Sheinelle shared that their kids had asked them to stop talking about them altogether on TV, as times had changed and their clips often went viral on social media.
Sheinelle pointed out that Kathie Lee Gifford, who co-hosted Today's fourth hour for 11 years until 2019, often spoke about her son on the show, at an hour when children were busy at school, and there was no social media to rehash anything.
© NBC"Nowadays, some of the things that we talk about end up on social media, and so I have to be conscious of that fact," the 48-year-old said. Sheinelle is a proud mother to Kayin, 16, and her twins Clara and Uche Jr., 14, whom she welcomed with her late husband, Uche Ojeh.
"My kids follow our site; they follow me, and so in my mind, I picture them being with their friends. I try to put them in that context, and whatever pops up, I try to say, 'How would you feel if they're sitting with their friends?' So I just try to keep that in the back of my mind."
Jenna and Sheinelle's work-life balance
© NBCElsewhere in the interview, the pair explained that the sacrifices they made for their work were ultimately worth it, as they were modeling career fulfilment for their kids. "There are things that we will miss, and it's a sacrifice. But it's also a sacrifice to have three kids who we love. I sacrifice work stuff too, and so does Sheinelle," Jenna said.
"I also think it's really important that my kids know how fulfilled I am because I hope they can find that same type of engagement in their work or purpose. We don't take it for granted how lucky we are that we found something that really lights us."
