Jenna Bush Revealed She Cried A Little As Daughters Headed To Summer Camp

Jenna Bush Hager is on the brink of an emotional transition as her home edges closer to becoming an empty nest this summer. The 42-year-old mom of three recently opened up to her co-host Hoda Kotb, 59, during an episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna on July 8, about her poignant weekend.

On that weekend, Jenna experienced a wave of emotions after dropping off her daughters, Mila, 11, and Poppy, 8, at summer camp in Texas. 

“I dropped both of the girls at the bus,” she explained, revealing that she had “little tears under my big sunglasses.”

Poppy, embarking on her first camp adventure, voiced numerous concerns about the upcoming summer. “Poppy was like, ‘But what about the spiders in the bathroom?’ and I was like, ‘You’re going to become friends with the spiders in the bathroom,’” Jenna recalled, adding, “She’s like, ‘But what about the heat?’ I’m like, ‘It’s going to become normal to you… it’s hot there.”

Mila, a seasoned camper, eagerly took on the role of the supportive big sister. She reassured Poppy with practical advice: “Okay, so here’s what you do, Poppy,” she began, cautioning her about drinking Sprite in the Texas heat, saying it would make her feel sick.

Though Jenna felt joy in sending her daughters to the same camp she attended as a child, she admitted to Hoda, “I feel like two of my three hearts are far away from me.”

Jenna shares her daughters and 4-year-old son, Henry “Hal” Harold, with her husband, Henry Hager. While Mila shines as a protective and guiding sister, Jenna also recently revealed another surprising talent of her pre-teen daughter. On the June 19 episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, she shared Mila’s impressive makeup skills.

“Isn’t it weird how early kids are now wearing makeup though? Isn’t it strange?” Hoda had remarked.

“The strange thing about one of my children, like Mila Hager, is very good at makeup. Very good,” Jenna responded, noting her daughter’s unexpected proficiency.

“She’s probably good at art. She can draw,” Hoda added.

“Well, they both are artists, but she’s really good at it. I would let her do my makeup,” Jenna insisted proudly.