Jenna Bush Hager's Emotional Moment Over Time Lost With Her Kids Is So Familiar To Working Moms

Because so many celebrities and influencers are obsessed with projecting an image of perfection, we cherish people like Jenna Bush Hager, who are honest about their struggles. Her admissions about being a parent, in particular, are so relatable, as social media seems to be flooded with tradwife content creators depicting motherhood as all sunshine and roses. 

During a May 2026 segment on "Today with Jenna & Sheinelle," Bush Hager helped to dismantle the narrative by opening up about a particular struggle she faces as a working mom: Missing out on time with her kids. The former first daughter explained that her various work obligations had been taking up much of her time recently, so she felt the need to balance things out. "This morning when I woke up, I thought, 'Okay, the next couple weeks, the next couple months, it's kid-focused,'" Bush Hager said. She actually started to get choked up when discussing the guilt she feels, and her co-host reminded her that it's simply impossible for mothers to be everywhere and do everything at once. "It may look like things are great, but things are falling apart," Bush Hager added — a reality that working moms know all too well, as evidenced in the comment section.

"This vulnerability is what every Mom needs to hear," one commenter wrote beneath the video on Instagram. "Thank you for normalizing our collective fears and anxiety," another wrote. With her honest admission, Bush Hager clearly started an important conversation, but it's not the first time she's helped to dismantle the unrealistic portrayal of motherhood that is commonplace in our society. 

Jenna Bush Hager, who's been through a stunning style transformation, shares daughters Mila and Poppy, and son Hal, with husband Henry Chase Hager. Fans know she isn't afraid to get real about being a mom. Trying to manage her family life with the career she's worked hard for can be logistically difficult, but establishing a good work-life balance is key for maintaining healthy relationships, and that includes between parents and children.

On the "Today" show in October 2020, Bush Hager recounted a time when her daughter Mila expressed her feelings about having working parents. On a time capsule worksheet from school, Mila wrote, "It makes me frustrated when mommy and daddy work too much." While that was hard for Bush Hager to hear, she explained to her daughter that both she and her husband are very fortunate to have landed the careers of their dreams. 

Co-host Hoda Kotb pointed out that it was a testament to Bush Hager's parenting skills that Mila felt comfortable enough to express herself about her frustrations. Bush Hager added that for her and her husband, "What matters, is the uninterrupted time. We're here and we're happy to be here ... but when we're in front of them ... put the phone away."