Bedtime routines often involve a comforting story or a soothing lullaby, but for Hoda Kotb, co-host of the Today with Hoda & Jenna, it involves an endearing yet increasingly challenging tradition with her daughter, Hope.
During a lively discussion on their Monday episode, Hoda revealed a unique nighttime ritual that started with a simple act of love but has since become a nightly treasure hunt.
“Hope has this thing where she likes 'something special' before she goes to sleep," Hoda, 59, began.
"She's in bed, I leave, I go to my room. I literally rummage around, I find an old bracelet. I go, 'Here, something special.' " But Hope's appetite for novelty grew by the day, prompting her to request "something special that I've never seen before" the following evening.
Jenna Bush Hager, her co-host and friend, quickly realized the unintentional conundrum Hoda had found herself in and playfully remarked: Oh, no. You've started a terrible thing. This is not good!" She even jokingly started scouring their set for potential 'special' items, from gum to show merchandise.
Taking the jest in good humor, Hoda chuckled, sharing her recent improvisation: "I took an old little zippy earbud case and shoved coins in it last night — coins and some old plastic ring. And I go, 'Something special!'"
On being asked if she regretted starting this custom, Hoda didn't hesitate, admitting, "Yes! Every night, it's a lot of pressure."
Jenna, a mother to three herself, empathized, pointing out how seemingly fleeting parenting ideas can become long-lived traditions.
"They're the smartest kids — and manipulative," she jested about her own children. Jenna tried to offer an alternative suggestion: perhaps a nightly mantra for Hope instead of a tangible item.
But Hoda, already ahead, replied, "I give her a million mantras. We do all that stuff. It doesn't work. She wants to have something."
Adding to Hoda's potential challenges, Jenna humorously hinted that Hoda's elder daughter, Haley, 6, might soon join the quest for nightly treasures.
"I know, because she does say, 'Why did Hope get something?' And not just something — 'something I've never seen before,'" Hoda shared.
Jenna's spirited solution was quintessential: transform any mundane object into “something special.” She cheerfully explained: "Just go into any of your drawers and they're bottomless pits, filled with paper clips and hummus and stale chips, and all of that can be special if you make it special."
On a heartwarming note, Hoda mentioned Hope's recent appearance at a special school event where she spoke. Recounting the joyous occasion, she said: "When I was at my reunion, I said, 'And she's here.' Little Hope came buzzing up on the stage, not afraid of anything, wearing my old high school cheerleading uniform. It was one of those kind of 'pinch-me' amazing moments."