Jenna Bush Hager may be an accomplished author, news personality and public figure, but when it comes to failure, she has had her fair share.
And now, she fears that her children will not learn the power of failure thanks to the increasing expectations placed on young kids.
Speaking to Monica Lewinsky on Wednesday’s episode of Today, Jenna shared her “concern” as a mother of three about how drastically life has changed for the new generation of children.
“It’s actually my biggest concern as a mom is I don’t think our kids are allowed to fail,” she said on the show. “And I failed publicly and it’s actually what makes me, I feel like, my superpower.”
“I feel brave because you can come out of something. We need to teach kids that they can come out of things,” she added.
As the daughter of former president George W. Bush and his wife Laura, Jenna grew up with all eyes on her and had her mistakes broadcast to the whole world.
She was cited for possession of alcohol and using a fake ID as a 19-year-old college student, yet was largely protected by her father following the incident.
“I think it’s the best gift we can give our children, is the chance to fail,” she said of moment in a previous episode of Today.
“While we were growing up, I for one had parents that let us fail, let us fall and publicly. And I always say to them now, ‘How brave of you,’ because it didn’t reflect great on them, either.”
© AFP via Getty ImagesJenna shares Mila, 11, Poppy, nine, and Hal, five, with her husband of 16 years, Henry Hager.
The blonde beauty and her twin sister, Barbara, were just 20 years old when their father became the president, although they had grown up in the spotlight thanks to their grandfather, former president George H. W. Bush.
On Wednesday’s episode, Jenna got candid about feeling the need to prove herself and shaking off the ‘nepo baby’ legacy.
© Getty Images“Sometimes my children say ‘nepo babies‘ and I’m like, ‘I mean, I kind of am one, kids,'” she shared.
“But I also think it’s hard. People want [nepo babies] to fail,” she continued. “Barbara and I are serious workaholics and I’ve tried to figure out why, and I think it’s because we want to prove to people that it isn’t always easy.”
Jenna is a prolific author, previously worked as a teacher, and has been part of the Today family since 2009.
© Instagram“I’m glad I work really hard and I’m glad I have the family that I have. But I also need to, at some point, be like, ‘Okay, I did it. I proved it.’ And I can also be happy with my kids at home,” she said. “I think it’s a double-edged sword.”
The Jenna & Friends star will embark on a book tour with her sister in March after they co-authored the children’s book I Loved You First.
The twins have written a slew of books together, including Sisters First in 2019, its sequel Love Comes First in 2023, The Superpower Sisterhood in 2022, and their 2018 memoir Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.
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