“There’s nothing more fulfilling than watching your kids grow beyond you,” the mom of five wrote on social media
Credit: Joanna Gaines/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Joanna Gaines is opening up about how difficult it’s been to watch her children go off to college
- “As hard as that goodbye is, there’s nothing more fulfilling than watching your kid grow beyond you — it’s one of the greatest gifts of being a parent,” she wrote on Instagram
- The Fixer Upper star shares five kids with husband Chip Gaines
Joanna Gaines is opening up about how difficult “college season” can be.
On Sunday, Aug. 16, the Fixer Upper star, 48, shared a message for “all the parents” who are sending their kids off to college this fall.
“I know that feeling all too well,” Joanna began on Instagram while sharing a series of photos of herself hugging her children and looking at their packed suitcases sitting at the bottom of the stairs. “Holding on a little tighter before letting go. Feeling proud of who they’re becoming and wishing time would slow down.”
“But there’s nothing more fulfilling than watching your kids grow beyond you,” she continued. “I’m feeling it with you.”
Credit: Joanna Gaines/Instagram
This year, Joanna and her husband, Chip Gaines, are sending their oldest son, Drake, 21, back to college for his senior year and their daughter Ella, 19, for her second year. The couple also share Duke, 18, Emmie, 16, and Crew, 8.
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“Thinking of all the parents sending their kids off to college this season,” Joanna went on to write in the caption of her post. “I’ve been on that side of move-in day, so I know the wide range of emotions well.”
“As hard as that goodbye is, there’s nothing more fulfilling than watching your kid grow beyond you — it’s one of the greatest gifts of being a parent,” she added. “May you find joy, comfort, and gratitude in the letting go. ❤️🙏🏼.”
Last year, Joanna shared a photo of a room filled with boxes while taking a moment to reflect on how difficult saying goodbye to her kids has been for her.
Credit: Joanna Gaines/Instagram
“They told me it would go by quicker than I think,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “That the days are slow but the years are fast. And darn it if they were right. This beautiful gift of time has roared past us all just like I was told.”
“Help me to embrace change with a heart filled with hope for the part I know to be truer than the rest — my kids and I may have been made for each other, but I also believe they were made for more,” she continued. “More experiences, more knowledge, more growing than could ever happen within our walls.”
As she watched her oldest daughter prepare to spend her first year across the country, Joanna expressed that the season felt like “one big, breathless surrender.”
“Lord, how do I hold them close while also letting go?” she concluded. “To all the parents packing up and moving kids to new places and to all those years still to spare: hold them close, hold them well, and let’s all lean on each other when the time comes to hold it together.”
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