Jenna Bush Hager has books to thank for teaching her 10-year-old daughter, Mila, about the birds and the bees.
The 42-year-old “Today with Hoda & Jenna” co-host revealed Thursday that Mila reading Jenny Han’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has eased her into discussing the sex talk with her child.
“It’s so interesting, I feel like conversations about sex have changed since we were little. Mila’s in 5th grade and one of the things people have been surprised about is that I let her read this book series called “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by my queen, Jenny Han — who is an incredible writer for young adults,” Bush Hager began.
“[Mila’s] obviously not a young adult, she’s a kid. But I think people are like, ‘You didn’t censor? You let her?’ And first of all, I feel like everybody should just do them,” she continued.
“Second of all, this is what I believe. I believe I would so much rather my kids learn about sex or drinking or whatever it is through books than through YouTube. I would so much rather my kids read something and get to come to their mom’s bedside and be like, ‘Hey mom, I didn’t quite get this,’ and me be able to help lead the conversation than her having influencers do that for her.”
Co-host Hoda Kotb, 59, supported Bush Hager’s decision, chiming in, “Good girl. Preach! I like this. This is good.”
“That’s what I believe and I’m a daughter of a librarian, so, that’s what we’re having,” Bush Hager said of her mother, former first lady Laura Bush.
The co-hosts then discussed the idea of banning books, and both agreed they’d rather kids indulge in books rather than finding worse things on the internet.
“And then we can have wonderful conversations? I mean, Judy Blume was my guidance when it comes to, ‘What do I do in my own house?’ ” Bush Hager explained. “And by the way, not everything is… I know Mila, I know what is appropriate for her, and it’s not appropriate for everybody and I get it.”
“Like, I’m not dictating everybody should read everything. That’s not the way it is. And I’m not letting her read everything,” she added. “But anyway, one of the things that I have had the opportunity to talk to her about via this book is about sex.”
“And it’s so very different than when we were little. And the thing I say to her is, ‘You are the chooser. If something doesn’t feel right to you, don’t do it,’” Bush Hager, who shares three kids with husband Henry Chase Hager, noted.
“I don’t know, thank you, Jenny Han, for guiding my sex talks.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
