The summer months are coming to an end, which means parents across the country can hardly wait for school to start again. However, getting kids ready to start a new school year can be easier said than done. Recently, Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones gave fans some advice to help get kids ready.
Today‘s Jenna Bush Hager & Sheinelle Jones Both Know What It’s Like Juggling Being A Mother To Three Children & A Busy Work Schedule
Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones both co-host the fourth hour of Today together. Outside of their journalistic careers, both are mothers have know firsthand what it is like getting children ready for school while dealing with their busy schedules.
Jenna shares three children with her husband, Henry Hager: Mila, Poppy, and Hal. Sheinelle also shares three children with her late husband, Uche Ojeh: Kayin and twins, Clara and Uche Jr.
Recently, while speaking with Parents magazine, the two opened up about at-home tricks that they rely on during the back-to-school season. In particular, Jenna highlighted one pre-school ritual: gathering for a special dinner where the family talks about what they are looking forward to in the upcoming year.
Saying that this could happen at home or while out to eat, Jenna shared, “We have dinner the night before where we sit together and we kind of talk about our intentions for the year.” She also highlighted keeping the conversation informal and not putting undue pressure on the kids.
Jenna also shared tips that help the kids avoid making last-minute decisions. She shared, “There are hacks that we do, like laying out their clothes every night, not just the day before school starts, and getting their sports stuff in their backpack.” She also advised that the small organizational steps can be more useful than big shopping sprees for new supplies and outfits.
As The Today Stars Shared Advice, It Was Noted That New Challenges Can Arise As Kids Grow Up
For her part, Sheinelle agreed the organizational skills must be put to use. However, she took things a step further: using clothing or shoe cubbies to organize outfits for her kids beforehand. As she highlighted, her job sometimes keeps her from home, meaning that she isn’t always home when her kids are getting ready for school.
According to Sheinelle, the family starts laying out outfits on Sunday nights for at least three days ahead of time. The family then regroups and prepares for the rest of the week on Wednesday. She added, “If you can at least do a few days at a time, at the beginning of the week or the end of the week, then [it takes] the guesswork out in the morning.”
Sheinelle noted that she used to make back-to-school signs for her kids. However, with them now high school-aged, she felt that they grew out of this. In fact, she reflected on new challenges as her kids have gotten older. She expressed, “I have some comfort because of my incoming ninth graders. They’re twins, and so I know they have a built-in friend. But it is a new school where you may not know a lot of people. So I find myself, just as they probably are, quietly a bit anxious.”
What is your reaction to Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager’s recent share? Have you been following this story? Are you keeping up with Today? Make sure you come back to TV Shows Ace for all the latest TV and celebrity news.
John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.