It’s not all about beautiful design in soft shades of gray and amazing farmhouse tables for HGTV star Joanna Gaines, of Fixer Upper fame. It turns out, she is nailing the whole parenting gig as well.
A recent Facebook post written by the designer went viral, as the words rang both sweet and true to other parents who read it, Babble reports.
In the midst of building an incredibly successful business based on her passion of design, as well as starring in a popular show with her adorable husband, Chip, Joanna has managed to have four children, two of each because she’s obviously perfect. The four beautiful children, the perfect farmhouse in which Joanna lives, the animals they gleefully raise, the random fireworks shows her husband performs for her, her magnificent hair, and her immensely successful career leave many of her fans awestruck because Joanna makes it all look so effortless, but actively cheering for her and her continued success.
For the most part, Joanna has remained rather quiet about her success, probably preferring to let it speak for itself. But a beautifully written Facebook post gave people a glimpse into what “real life” is like for Joanna Gaines, as she spoke about motherhood .
One morning, Joanna walked in to find her youngest daughter, standing by the window in her bedroom, apparently captivated by a hummingbird flying outside, around the butterfly bush that Joanna herself had planted — and then forgotten about.
For Joanna, watching her daughter be captivated by the humming bird and the bush that Joanna had planted for that very reason — and then forgot about — became a defining moment in parenting.
“There’s an Adonis blue butterfly bush I planted by the girl’s window almost five years ago when we were renovating the farmhouse. I wanted butterflies by the girl’s windows that they could see and enjoy. I never told them about the bush and honestly I forgot about it over the years. This morning I found my little Emmie sitting by her window looking excitedly at the bush and saying ‘Here she is! My little hummingbird comes every morning mom!’ First, I didn’t know she looked out for her bird every morning. Second, I forgot all about the bush and never told her if she looked out the window she would see the prettiest butterflies and hummingbirds gathered around it. It’s hard not to think this is a lot like parenting… You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children’s hearts are now in full bloom. Be encouraged today to keep pressing in and tending to their hearts. It will be worth it.”
Her words obviously resonated with many, as the post has been “liked” nearly 500,000 times and shared nearly 75,000 times. Hundreds of others left comments, thanking Gaines for her beautiful words of wisdom, as a mother of four. Joanna’s words were, apparently, exactly what many other moms needed to hear. Parenting can be a frustrating task, a huge undertaking that is massive in scope while simultaneously bogged down in minutia. Most of parenting can feel like a never-ending loop of hearing yourself say, “Brush your teeth and find your shoes!” or orchestrating moments and conversations that you think are meaningful only to realize your child has not been paying any attention at all.
Joanna’s words are a reminder that children are often absorbing more than we give them credit for, and that we are constantly planting seeds in our children’s hearts, as she so beautifully said, and sometimes, those seeds do take root, when we least expect them to do so.
For more on Joanna Gaines, click here to take a tour of the stunning mansion she recently bought to renovate.
[Image via Facebook ]
