Jenna Bush Hager reveals why she and her husband are 'the antithesis' to fellow parents at their children's schools

Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones spoke transparently about their parenting styles during the Today with Jenna and Sheinelle on April 9.

The TV hosts began a discussion about young mean girls in schools and Sheinelle expressed: "What you think about, you bring about." 

She added: "Kindness helps and being the one who helps someone... that's what you want to foster."

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Jenna expressed how times have changed when it comes to what today's parents prioritize as opposed to back then.

The TV star shared: "I feel like we live in this world where – and I don't know where it comes from – but there's this intense pressure on teens to get into the right school, to be the best athlete to have the great grades and we didn't have that."

Sheinelle immediately replied: "At all." Jenna continued: "If you were average, you were fine. I know," as Sheinelle joked: "And you turned out okay."

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Jenna's take on parenting

The journalist believes that today's parents need to reevaluate what they teach their children.

Jenna added: "I also think the emphasis is on achievement and success rather than happiness and joy and kindness and friendship," as Sheinelle interjected: "And experience."

The correspondent explained that because of her take on parenting, she and her husband are often othered by fellow parents at their children's schools.

Jenna explained: "It's so funny cause Henry and I are like the antithesis of some of the parents that we see."

Sheinelle remained hopeful and expressed: "I think it may take a second – I think it's gonna swing back the other way."

Jenna interjected: "It better." She concluded: "As parents, we can help put the emphasis on things that matter as opposed to pressuring all of these sorts of external things that don't really matter."

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Jenna and Sheinelle's take on mean girls

Sheinelle candidly shared that when someone is being a mean girl, she tells her children that the person "peaked too soon."

Jenna expressed: "Mila says that. She's always like, 'People that are mean or get the early boyfriends' – which I feel like in the '90s, we would be jealous of that…"

Mila instead takes it all in stride, as Jenna continued: "She's like, 'We have time to grow.'"

Jenna confessed that she's not the one to credit for Mila's wisdom. She jokingly asked: "Did you teach her that [Sheinelle]?"

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Their family ties

Jenna is the mother of Mila, born in 2013, Poppy, born in 2015, and Hal Hager, born in 2019.

Sheinelle is also a mother-of-three to her children including Kayin, born in 2009 and her twins Clara and Uche, who arrived in 2012.