“We’re just not starting to tell people, but No. 14 is in the belly.”
Hoda Kotb is teaching her daughters things she never would’ve thought of in her 30s.
The former “Today” show anchor, who celebrated her 61st birthday on Aug. 9, opened up about her role as an “older mom” on the Sept. 23 episode of the “Open Book with Jenna” podcast.
While she admitted to not liking the term “older mom,” she also knows it comes with its benefits.
“I was just reading something and, you know, a lot of moms start at 20, 25, 30, even 35, when you don’t know anything about who you are,” she told her former co-host and mom of three Jenna Bush Hager.
Kotb shares two adopted daughters — Haley, 8, and Hope, 6 — with Joel Schiffman, whom she was engaged to from 2019 to 2022, according to People.
The published author and wellness company CEO was 52 years old when she became a first-time mom.
In her interview with Bush Hager, Kotb credited Sandra Bullock with inspiring her journey to become a mom in her 50s — referencing the fact that Bullock adopted her two kids in her late 40s.
She later admitted that she “kind of gets an ouch” when someone calls her an “older mom” — despite it being true.
“I am kind of sitting in the fact that I come with wisdom now,” she explained.
READ MORE: Hoda Kotb opens up about life as a mom after she ‘slowed everything down’ following ‘Today’ exit
“Although I still lose it often, I think I lose it less than I would’ve in my 30s,” she added. “But I do feel like they’re getting more from me that you wouldn’t normally get from a parent who is in their 30s.”
Kotb argued that most younger moms “haven’t lived a life” by the time they welcome their first child.
Her comments come one month after she described herself as a “late bloomer in everything” during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, published Aug. 25.
“I had my kids late. I was a CEO of a company at 60. I got my favorite job at the “Today” show in my late 50s.”
“At the same time, I feel like everything’s happening right on time,” she added.
Hoda Kotb shares what she’s teaching her daughters as an ‘older mom’
Kotb is living proof that being an “older mom” is as good as you make it out to be.
While talking to Bush Hager, she opened up about one of the things she’s teaching her daughters — and how it differs from what she would’ve taught them if she was younger.
“I was telling my kids, 'Thoughts become things,'” she said.
“Thoughts become things. What you think will be. Thoughts become things. You think you’re going to fall off your bike? Watch. You think you’re going to stand up? Watch,'" she added of her philosophy.
“So I’m trying to show them little bits and pieces, things that I would’ve never thought of or even said in my 30s, or even my 40s, maybe," she continued.
READ MORE: Jenna Bush Hager's daughter had perfect response to brother’s improved behavior over the summer
As far as what brings her joy now that she’s no longer with the “Today” show, Kotb alluded to time spent with her daughters.
"Conversations and a deep knowing of my kids,” she told her former co-host.
“I don’t think I knew them that well before,” she added. “But now because I sit with them and see them and listen to them and soak in all the stuff that they’re telling me. I feel like that brings me incredible joy.”
Kotb was 33 years old when she joined NBC as a “Dateline” correspondent in 1998.
She spent 26 years with the network and 17 as a member of the “Today” show before announcing her decision to leave the show on Sept. 26.
“A new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie,” she wrote in a letter at the time.
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Her farewell tour came to an end on Jan. 10 when she filmed her final episode as America’s favorite host.
