HGTV Star Is ‘More Intentional’ About Family Time as Kids Grow Up
By Movieguide® Contributor
Joanna Gaines is making sure to be “more intentional” about family time as her kids get older.
“All four of my older kids are driving now,” the HGTV star told PEOPLE, referring to children Drake, 19, Ella, 18, Duke, 16, and Emmie, 15.
Gaines joked that she even “stalks them on the app Life360,” which many parents use to track their kids.
“They’re just turning into these wonderful human beings,” she shared. “My favorite thing is seeing them hanging out in a restaurant together as friends. Because when they were younger I was always monitoring their fights, and now they’re dear friends, which is so cool.”
Gaines also said that she’s more conscious that they’ll be “exiting” soon for college and other adventures and is making the most of their time together now.
“Knowing that [the older kids] will be gone in the next few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to create micro-moments, to feel in the now with our family, just be really more intentional with our time together,” she explained. “And hopefully, try and slow it all down a bit!”
READ MORE: JOANNA GAINES WANTS YOU TO ENJOY EVERY MOMENT WITH YOUR GROWING KIDS — HERE’S WHY
In another interview with the outlet, Gaines said she was “so sad” when oldest son Drake left for college — and is gearing up for daughter Ella’s high school graduation this year.
“How do I prepare my own heart for it?” she asked, adding, “It’s like you’re losing the one that you go on the weekends to get coffee with and shop at the antique stores. I’m like, ‘Where’s my friend going?’”
Gaines shared that she’s trying to just be “okay with the shift” and let go “of what was and [get] excited for what’s to come.”
In 2022, she wrote an essay about the experience for Magnolia Journal, sharing, “In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement. But still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own. I catch glimpses now of what that life will look like and wonder if — or how many times — that might bring me to the floor.”
She continued, “What we learn is that life is not about holding out only for the days of brightest possibility. It’s not only about finding ourselves a crisp new page. Sometimes, in order to move forward, we have to surrender ourselves to the promise of growth that follows the fall. Easier said than done, yes — one thousand times yes.”
READ MORE: JOANNA GAINES ON MOTHERHOOD: ‘SORROW AND JOY CAN GO HAND IN HAND’
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +4