In a recent episode of the hit morning show she co-hosts, Hoda Kotb shared her thoughts on being an older mom. When talking about the challenges of motherhood, the popular personality of NBC’s “Today with Hoda and Jenna” said she thinks about her own mortality and “how much time” she has to share with her girls.
According to People Magazine, Kotb revealed on her talk show how she was settling into being a mom later in life. The 57-year-old, who adopted two young daughters, Haley Joy, now age 5, and now 3-year-old Hope Catherine, says that while she considers the parenting journey “scary” with its own challenges because of her age, she is ready to face her fear out of her love for her girls.
“As an older mom, I think there are a lot of beautiful parts and challenges too. I see all the good parts about being an older mom,” Kotb said. “Like, I’m in my own skin, I know who I am, I’ve got much more patience and love and all that stuff. But along with that also comes the fact that you’re an older mother.”
The broadcaster said people have been shocked at her being the mother of the girls because of her age.
“You can’t help it — sometimes people will come up and say, ‘Wait, you’re the mother?’ And it gives you this pause for a second. And your kids look around like, ‘Huh? What are you talking about?’ It’s a tough thing to do.”
But then she thinks to herself, “Why does that bother me? I’m not embarrassed to be my age. I’m happy at my age. It’s the perfect storm of my life. Two kids, this time, this job.”
She added, “Someone was saying, ‘It gets greater later’ — it does get greater later, but in between, there are these moments that you feel an ‘Ouch!’ ”
Kotb became a mom four years ago after she and her former fiancé Joel Schiffman started dating, the Insider reports. She did not care about the child’s race or gender. Her age was not even a consideration; she just wanted to be a parent. A month after applying, she received a text from the adoption agent that changed her life. It said, “She’s here. I don’t know what giving birth feels like, but I sure know what my heart felt like when I heard those words,” Kotb said. “It was magical.”
She also said there was an instant connection between her and Haley Joy. Twenty-seven months later, she welcomed younger daughter Hope Catherine to the family.
Today, the girls are the light of her life. For Mother’s Day, the girls gave mom the most adorable surprise. Early on that Sunday, the girls brought their mother downstairs, placing notes on the stairs with the message “Happy Mother’s Day,” written in the best handwriting a pre-kindergartener could scribble. Then when she reached the first floor, they began to serenade her.
On the table were pictures, a mug of water and Haley made mom a cup of coffee using the Keurig.
In opening up, Kotb was candid, saying her uncomfortable feelings about mothering, in the beginning, had “nothing to do with whether she thought I was too old to be” the girls’ mother. She said the “scariest parts” were “wondering how much time you have.”
