Growing up as the daughters of a U.S. President and First Lady may sound extraordinary, but for Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, childhood was defined less by politics and spotlight and more by freedom, imagination and the simple joys of being kids in the ’80s and ’90s. Now, decades later, the twins say those formative years guide nearly every choice they make as mothers raising children in a vastly different world.
In an exclusive conversation, Barbara, 43, shared that she and Jenna still look to their parents’ style — one she describes as “present, but never hovering” — as they navigate parenting in an era saturated with smartphones, constant connectivity, and digital distractions.
“Our parents were always around,” Barbara reflected, “but we had so much freedom. We played outside with the neighborhood kids, we biked everywhere, we explored. It was safe, but it wasn’t monitored every second the way childhood often is today.”
Barbara admits she aspires to replicate that balance of presence and independence — even though today’s world doesn’t make it easy.
Barbara is now a mother of two: daughter Cora Georgia, 3, and baby son Edward, 7 months, whom she shares with husband Craig Coyne. Jenna, also 43, is raising three children of her own — Mila, 11, Poppy, 9, and Hal, 5 — with husband Henry Hager. Both sisters say they lean on their parents’ example, but with updated boundaries to match the age of technology.
One of Jenna’s biggest intentional decisions has been delaying giving her oldest child a cellphone.
“She’s in sixth grade, and most of the kids have them,” Jenna explained. “But we’re waiting. I want her to know how to ask for help, how to communicate face-to-face, how to be brave without hiding behind a screen.”
To her, it’s an extension of the principles she grew up with — the belief that kids should experience the world before they experience the internet.
Jenna’s memories of her parents overflow with warmth and creativity. She lights up recalling George W. Bush running beside her as she figured out how to ride a bike, or the elaborate scavenger hunts both parents designed for birthdays.
“They made the world magical,” Jenna said. “When you’re little, everything feels huge and full of wonder — and our parents leaned into that. They encouraged us to look at the world with big, joyful eyes.”
And now, she tries to return the favor — not just by showing her kids the magic of childhood, but also by letting her kids show her the magic she sometimes forgets to see.
“Yes, parents create the magic,” Jenna said. “But kids give it back. They force you to slow down, to laugh at silly things, to notice things you haven’t noticed in years. In a world that can feel dark and complicated, their perspective is a kind of light.”
This philosophy is the heart of the sisters’ new children’s book, I Loved You First, which Barbara describes as a “love letter” — to their children, and to the parents who shaped them.
The book honors the ways adults guide and nurture children, while also celebrating how profoundly kids reshape their parents in return. Jenna and Barbara dedicated it to Laura and George Bush — a gesture that reflects their deep appreciation for the grounding childhood they received.
“What’s better,” Barbara said, “than a book that encourages parents to tell their kids every night how much they’re loved and how meaningful they are? We wanted to give families a way to say the things that matter — often and easily.”
Barbara hopes parents who read the book feel two things: gratitude for their own children and fondness for whoever raised them.
“It’s not just about us,” she said. “It’s about anyone who experienced that unconditional love and now wants to pass it on.”
Jenna agrees. And although both sisters now balance demanding work schedules with busy households, they maintain the same priorities they learned growing up: family first, whenever possible.
Perhaps the most touching aspect of their shared philosophy is its simplicity — the belief that presence, imagination, and connection matter more than perfection.
They don’t claim to have all the answers. They don’t pretend parenting is easy. But they’re committed to raising children who feel the same warmth, curiosity, and sense of possibility they once did.
And if that means holding off on cellphones, planning spontaneous adventures, or simply kneeling down to see the world from a child’s eye level, both sisters are willing to do the work.
“Parenting today feels overwhelming sometimes,” Jenna admitted. “But seeing the world through your kids’ eyes? That’s the best part. It reminds you to choose joy — even on the hard days.”
With I Loved You First, they hope families everywhere will do the same.
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