Jenna Bush Hager Recounts Parenting Mistake That Led to 'Absolute Panic'
Jenna Bush Hager
Jenna Bush Hager is looking back on a pretty scary parenting experience.
The former first daughter opened up about a previous birthday party she held for her daughter, admitting that she "lost one child" during the event.
The bash was in honor of her eldest, Mila, turning 11, and caused "absolute panic" for her.
During a recent episode of Today With Hoda and Jenna, the talk show cohost recounted the day, and how the situation all went down.
“We went to the American Dream mall, which, if any of y’all visit this area or live in this area, it is quite extravagant,” the mom of three explained during the Monday, April 15, broadcast. “I don’t know why I felt like taking 15 girls to, like, a water park and then a theme park.”
She continued, adding that “Mila and her friends had a blast," before confessing, "and it was wonderful until we lost one child."
In addition to the birthday girl and her friends, Bush Hager's younger daughter, Poppy, also came along, making for quite a large group of kids.
Though they implemented the buddy system during the outing, one of Poppy’s friends ended up left behind when she sat out on a “scary ride” that the rest of the party attendees insisted on riding.
“I thought, ‘You know what? I was a teacher. I took 24 kids on a subway in Washington, D.C. by myself. I got this.’ Well, turns out, I didn’t really have it,” Bush Hager recalled, noting that she proceeded to teach her daughter that they should “never leave people behind” after the incident.
Thankfully, the child was eventually found, after Bush Hager searched the wave park ferociously, only to find the little one in a designated area. “Poppy didn’t mention that she might be waiting for me by the lion, but I said, ‘You should have made that [clear]. That should have been the headline,’” the 42-year-old joked.
After the birthday celebration, Bush Hager declared she's “retiring from water parks” and “big parties,” telling cohost Hoda Kotb, “I’ve said, ‘You can have your cousin and a friend. You can do small things. No more [big parties]. Mama is done.’”
The latest story time is just one of many scenarios the Love Comes First author has told viewers on the TV show, like earlier this month, when she detailed an accident from years ago that left her with four false teeth.
Next, Jenna Bush Hager's Solar Eclipse Family Photo Features 4 Generations: 'Sweet Memory'
