Joanna Gaines Movingly Talks About Raising Toddlers And Teens: ‘So Many Hard And Beautiful Moments’

Mar 01, 2020 by apost team

Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" fame is a pro at raising children. She has four teens/pre-adolescents, the oldest 15 and the youngest 10.

Recently, after taking some time off from pregnancies, she had a baby, Crew, who is almost two years old now.

Here, the TV star reflects on her experiences as a parent. 

Joanna recently released an emotional Instagram post about the difficulties and joys of simultaneously raising a toddler and teenagers. She said her day was full of many wonderful accomplishments: Crew managed to figure out how to climb up and down stairs, and then in the afternoon, her husband Chip took their oldest child to the DMV to get a learner's driving permit. After waiting for an hour, the proud teen walked out of the DMV with permission to drive. Under supervision only, of course.

Although the entire point of parenting is to prepare your children to become adults and move out and live productive lives, it can be a bittersweet experience when an older child hits an important milestone on the road to independence, such as learning how to drive. Joanna was struck by how different the milestones her two boys achieved on the same day, but both are essential steps towards adulthood. She said: "The gap between these two circumstances with my boys is wide but the feeling on both is somehow the same. So many hard and beautiful moments of beginnings and ends. Parenthood is all about training these babies up to eventually let them go."

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Joanna and Chip have reflected back on how their own parents raised them. Chip mentioned his parents didn't really seem to know what they are doing and had one rule, to be home before it gets dark. When he compares the wild and free childhood he had with how he is raising his children, he says he sometimes feels like a drill sergeant, constantly ordering them to get off the screens and go play outside.

Joanna has had the opposite experience. She is a rather laid-back parent and as long as the kids behave, she leaves them alone to decide how to pass their time.

In addition to being a parent, working as a house flipper, and hosting "Fixer Upper", Joanna Gaines is an accomplished author. She has published four books so far, including a cookbook, a book on gardening, and a book on interior design.

If these insights into parenting move you, consider discussing this story with other parents that you know. Pass the story around.