Hoda Kotb just made some very candid comments about the good and parts of being an older mom. The 57-year-old Today co-anchor shares daughters Haley Joy, 5, and Hope Catherine, 3, with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, both of whom they welcomed via adoption in 2017 and 2019 respectively. And what she said about one of the downsides of being an older parent on the Tuesday May 17th episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna was extremely heart-breaking…
“As an older mom, I think there are a lot of beautiful parts and challenges too,” Hoda began. “I see all the good parts about being an older mom. Like, I’m in my own skin, I know who I am, I’ve got much more patience and love and all that stuff. But along with that also comes the fact that you’re an older mother.”
"You can't help it — sometimes people will come up and say, 'Wait, you're the mother?' And it gives you this pause for a second. And your kids look around like, 'Huh? What are you talking about?' It's a tough thing to do."
"I remember thinking, 'Why does that bother me? I'm not embarrassed to be my age. I'm happy at my age. It's the perfect storm of my life. Two kids, this time, this job.' Someone was saying, 'It gets greatest later' — it does get greater later, but in between, there are these moments that you feel an 'Ouch!'" She then went on to discuss the "ouch" moments in more detail, referencing how "scary" it can be when it comes to "wondering how much time you have."
Kotb continued: "That is a big thought and worry and you wonder, you do the math a lot and that's something I don't like doing because it's scary." However, she went on to say that a recent conversation with her mother made her look at things differently, and she felt "very full" afterwards. "My mom came to visit me and I looked at her and said, 'At least 30 years more. At least. That's 35 for Haley, that's 33 for Hope. That makes me feel very full.'"
And we know that Hoda isn’t alone, as Sandra Bullock is also in the same position. In fact, Hoda recalled how it was the Gravity actress herself who convinced her to explore adoption. "I remember looking up and seeing Sandra Bullock talk about her adoption on screen. And you know what I did? I Googled 'How old is Sandra Bullock?' And I was like, 'Oh my God, she's my age! And she's delightful and vibrant and full of everything,'" Hoda recalled. "And I thought to myself, 'You don't know when your moment is happening. You don't know when your moment's coming. But when you see it, you take it.'"
