HGTV's Page Turner on being a single mom and 'over-parenting' her 3 daughters: 'I was a helicopter mom'
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Raising three daughters on her own was no simple task for HGTV star Page Turner. Looking back, Turner says she was probably stricter than she needed to be.
"I was a helicopter mom and I was super-controlling. And looking back, I would be a different mom," the Fix My Flip star tells Yahoo Life of "over-parenting" her girls, 26-year-old twins Quincy and Qai and 28-year-old Zaire. "I was a good mom, but I felt like I had to be a soldier because there were three of them and I had to make sure that they knew who's boss. And number two, just to keep everything in line."
In her early years as a single mother, Turner "begged" her mom to move in to help raise the girls; she ended up staying for 14 years and was "a saving grace." The TV personality also credits her close friends with helping her through single motherhood.
"It took a village, plus a ton of my good girlfriends and guy friends who they all called aunt and uncle," she shares. "I mean, it was really like all hands on deck with my kids. I was so blessed, even in my low times."
There have been plenty of good times, too. Turner has thrived in the real estate business, and returns for Season 2 of Fix My Flip on Thursday, May 4, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV. She says the industry has constantly taught her how to "pivot" — a skill she first learned from being a single parent.
"That comes from me being a single mom and just knowing how to get things done," says Turner, noting that her daughters' close proximity in age made things even tougher. "That meant three homecomings, three driver's licenses, three proms, three birthday parties at the same time, it was crazy. But you know, I'm a big believer in vision and written plans. And anything we wanted, I never said 'we can't have it. We can't afford it.' I just said we'd have to structure, plan and work for it."
It was even harder without the support of a co-parent. According to Turner, she "never got a dime in child support" from her ex. "I don't even know where that man is, to tell you the truth," she adds. "It's just me, my girls and my mom, and that's what I was striving for every day."
When she speaks with single mothers who are struggling to get things done, Turner makes sure to make one thing clear: You have to practice self-care in order to successfully raise children.
"I tell single moms this all the time. I don't care what type of budget you're on, you have to budget for yourself," she says. "Find that time for yourself."
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