Sheinelle Jones Recalls Scary Situation When Daughter Clara Was a Baby That Was a 'Wake-Up Call' for Her

The 'Today' co-host shares her three kids with late husband Uche Ojeh

NEED TO KNOW

• Sheinelle Jones recalls slipping on stairs while holding her newborn daughter, Clara, leading to a terrifying moment

• The incident inspired the ‘Today’ co-host to slow down and stay present while parenting
• She shared the story in her new book, Through Mom’s Eyes, highlighting the lessons she learned from the experience

Sheinelle Jones is sharing about a scary moment that changed the way she thought about her parenting.

In her new book of essays, Through Mom's Eyes, the Today co-host, 47, wrote about an incident that occurred in the past with her then-newborn daughter, Clara. While she was walking down the stairs in her home, something happened that gave Jones a "wake-up call."

"I'm sure my thoughts were absolutely everywhere except on where I was — namely, on uncarpeted stairs, in slippery socks, with my healthy brand-new baby in my arms," Jones recalled. "All of a sudden, I slipped. BOOMBOOMBOOM down the stairs I went, bottom (thankfully!) first."

"Instinctively, I tucked Clara into my torso as tightly as I could, and I landed, hitting the edge of that last step REALLY hard," she continued. The mom of three said she squeezed her "eyes shut on impact" and was "terrified" to open them.

"I'd managed to keep my baby girl cradled in my arms, but had I held her too tightly, causing pain while trying to spare her?" asked Jones. "Would her face be contorted into one of those awful soundless screams while her tiny fists lashed about in outrage at my carelessness? Would she recognize the shame in my eyes and know that, today, her mom had been more lucky than good? My heart sank at the thought."

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But when the journalist looked at her daughter, all she saw were "trusting" eyes. "Unharmed and oblivious to my horror and physical pain, she offered me a toothless grin, as if to say what we mothers say to reassure our little ones all the time after they've survived a scrape," she continued. "'It's OK. OK okay. You're fine.' Clara was, but was I?"

After sitting with the situation for a minute, Jones began to reflect and felt "shame and gratitude" at how bad the situation could've been. "I said a prayer in that moment, through tears, realizing it was time for me to slow down," she shared. Jones went on to write that the incident had changed her mindset and made her become "intent on staying present."

"It was a wake-up call about what's important," explained Jones. "The huge bruise left on my backside took a while to fade, but it served as a reminder to be mindful of even basic things, like how I move."

Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans from G.P. Putnam's Sons is now available wherever books are sold.

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