By Mallory Mattingly
Pop star Jessie James Decker credits her military upbringing for her approach to parenting, sharing how it helps her raise “resilient” kids.
“I don’t know that my mom would ever say that there were any challenges [being a military spouse],” the singer-songwriter told Fox News Digital. Decker’s dad served in the US Air Force.
“She’s the most positive person, so she looked at the whole experience as the most incredible adventure, and she was just the most proud military spouse you could ever imagine,” the singer added of her mom, Karen. “She was so happy to be part of it. She loved what her husband did for this country, and she never complained once.”
Life as a military family means moving a lot, but Decker said that her mom always stayed upbeat.
“I can honestly tell you when it was time to move, she was like, ‘Time to go!’ and we would just box everything and roll to the next place,” she explained. “She always did it with a smile on her face.”
“I think just her positive attitude and her ability to, she always had this way about her and made everything feel at ease,” Decker continued. “So something that maybe would’ve been stressful for the family, she was able to kind of spin on it, you know what I mean?”
The singer explained that her mom’s positive, can-do attitude inspires her as she takes on motherhood.
“When we moved, she would do things like, ‘OK, we’re in a new place and let’s find the top five fun things about this city and let’s go do them, or let’s learn about them, or let’s go to the library. Let’s get books on the new place that we’re going to be moving to and let’s all just spread out on the carpet… let’s look it all up.’ She was always very positive. And so I feel like I’ve definitely instilled that in my children, where I make everything fun and exciting, and I’m able to put a twist on anything that may be tough,” Decker said.
Decker and her mother, Karen, hosted an Instagram Live session last week to celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
“Military spouses face frequent relocations and periods of separation, while managing the household and often solo parenting so their partners can dedicate themselves to their military service. Thank you for strengthening and supporting our military!” the USO wrote in a post to celebrate Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
While Jessie James Decker’s military upbringing wasn’t always easy, her mom’s love for and dedication to her family and country showed the singer that keeping a positive attitude during difficult times is possible. Today, she relies on her mom’s example as she parents her own kids.
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