Jenna Bush Hager admits she lets daughter Mila, 10, read ‘young adult’ book series and reveals they’ve already had ‘sex talks’ as she insists: ‘I know what’s appropriate for her’

Jenna Bush Hager has revealed that she has already had conversations about sex with her 10-year-old daughter, Mila, and allows her to read “young adult” novels because she would “prefer” her children to “learn about sex or drinking through books.” ‘ instead of over the Internet.

The 42-year-old TV star is an avid reader and on Thursday’s episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna, she and her co-host, Hoda Kotb, discussed Rebel Wilson’s explosive new memoir and one episode in particular where she revealed that she lost her virginity. she at 35.

While the two hosts praised Rebel for being so honest, Jenna said of her first experience with sex: “It’s very interesting, I feel like conversations about sex have changed a lot since we were little. Mila is in fifth grade and one of the things that surprised people is that I let her read this book series called The Summer I Turned Pretty by my queen, Jenny Han, who is an amazing young adult writer.

“She’s obviously not a young adult, she’s a child, but I think people say, ‘Ugh, you didn’t censor her, you left her…’ First of all, I think everyone should do it, but secondly, in Overall, this is what I think, I think I would rather my kids learn about sex or drinking or whatever through books than through YouTube.’

“I would rather my kids read something and come to their mom’s bedside and say, ‘Hey, Mom, I didn’t quite understand this,’ and for me to be able to help lead the conversation than for her to have influencers do that for her.” .’

Hoda, 59, mother of two young daughters, agreed with Jenna: ‘Good girl, preach! I like this, this is good.’

Jenna continued, “That’s what I believe and I’m the daughter of a librarian, so that’s what we’re getting,” referring to her mother, former first lady Laura Bush.

‘Judy Blume was my guide. I know Mila, I know what is appropriate for her and what is not appropriate for everyone and I understand that. I’m not dictating that everyone should read everything, I’m not. And I’m not going to let her read it all.

‘One of the things I’ve had the opportunity to talk to her about through this book… is about sex. It’s very different from when we were little and what I tell him is: “You are the one who chooses. If something doesn’t seem right to you, don’t do it.”

Hoda replied: ‘Good. And do you know how many children who are now adults probably wish their mothers had had that conversation with them then? Because often girls are complacent, they do things that don’t seem right to them because they don’t want to bother anyone or they don’t want to cause problems, or they think everyone is doing it.’

“Or, on the other end of the spectrum… there’s shame around her,” Jenna added as the duo praised Rebel again.

‘Because she’s right, not everything is perfect for everyone and for her to stand in her own truth and say, “Hey, I wasn’t ready until this age,” and it won’t be like that…’

Hoda added, “That conversation comes up a lot when you’re younger.” I imagine it must have been a bit strange and isolating… because there’s a point for all of us when you ask yourself, “Is it me? Do I have nothing to offer?” But wow, good for her.

In her new memoir, Rebel Rising, the actress explained that she He divulged details about his sex life in the hope that it would help young people because “not everyone has to lose their virginity as a teenager.”

“People can wait until they’re ready or wait until they’re a little more mature,” the Pitch Perfect star, 44, said. People.

“Obviously you don’t have to wait until you’re 30 like me, but you shouldn’t feel pressure when you’re young,” added Rebel, who said Sacha Baron Cohen asked her to strip.

In the past, he even lied about having sex so he wouldn’t have to talk about it.

“There was a vague moment where I think I said to my best friend, ‘Oh yeah, I did it to end this when I was 23,'” Wilson revealed.

“Just to avoid the questions,” he explained. ‘She would normally leave the room while the conversation was going on.

‘And then people saying, “Oh, at 24, it’s too late.” And then I’m sitting here thinking, “Oh my God, my number is 35. What the hell? I’m going to look like the biggest loser,” she admitted.

Rebel believes the era in which she was born had a lot to do with her being, in her own words, “late bloomer.”

She explained that she believes that if she had been born 20 years later, she would have felt more open to exploring her sexuality at a younger age.

‘It’s absolutely incredible, if I had been born 20 years later I probably would have explored my sexuality more. I just knew I was attracted to men and that was normal,” the senior actress said.

“And then when I started to open up probably more after my father died and I realized, oh, even though I had seen marriage as a terrible thing and a waste of time, I started to open up to that.

“And then just years later, meeting women and having feelings for a woman, and that, I think, is a sign of where society was.”