Joanna Gaines manages to juggle her incredible career on television with raising five children with husband Chip Gaines.
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The Fixer Upper star is a doting mom to three sons and two daughters, aged between 17 and four. In a recent interview with People, the TV star opened up about an upcoming emotional change the family will face in the next 12 months.
Reflecting on how quickly time has past, she told the publication that it will be bittersweet when her firstborn, Drake, moves out of the family's home to attend college.
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She said: "When [Drake] was Crew's age, people would look at me and say, 'Oh, you better hold on tight. It goes by fast. Now, being a mother of a four-year-old and an almost 18-year-old, it's a constant reminder to not take these moments for granted."
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On her family's close bond, she added that her children are always there cheering her on. "They're encouraging me as I walk out the door like, 'Mom, you've got this. Just be yourself, have fun,' " she says.
"Sometimes I feel like they're the parents," she said. Joanna and Chip share Drake, 17, Ella, 16, Duke, 14, Emmie, 12, and Crew, four. In an essay in Magnolia Journal, the quarterly lifestyle magazine she publishes with her husband, Joanna further reflected on Drake's upcoming departure.
Joanna Gaines and husband Chip will face a challenging change when their firstborn flies the nest
"Soon, our oldest son, Drake, will be leaving home for college," she wrote.
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"In the grand scheme of heartbreaking things, this one comes with a lot of gratitude and excitement."
"But still, my first child is moving away, and our family dynamic will change because of it, and that can feel like a loss of its own."
Joanna and Chip are doting parents to five children
Joanna lives in Waco, Texas, and the 44-year-old found fame with husband Chip as they flipped homes in the wider Waco area and launched their successful home renovation show, Fixer Upper.
They now have a multi-million dollar industry, including the Magnolia silos in the city of Waco, and their own network on Discovery+. Joanna met her husband Chip, 47, in 2001 while working at her dad's tire shop.
Chip popped the question in a shopping centre in Texas, allowing the couple to design her antique diamond ring together.
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