Photo: Jessie James Decker
Jessie James Decker
As for the three that we already have, they’re each little bits and pieces of me and Eric. We’ll find ourselves saying things like, “Oh, that’s so you Eric,” or “Oh my God, that’s a little mini Jess.” We know how to communicate with them because luckily, there are no real wild cards in any of our children. We’re very lucky because we see so much of ourselves in them, so communicating and understanding their emotions comes naturally to us.
It’s really important to me to set schedules and boundaries so the people I work with know that certain things or times are off limits. Sometimes I’ll have to say, “Hey, I’m going to be out of commission from these times every day, so you can reach out to me during these hours and I’m all yours.” I focus a lot of my energy on my schedule so my children can remain my first priority.
How did your upbringing influence your parenting style?My mother is my biggest inspiration. I always think to myself, What would mom have done in this situation?
As a child, I always felt like my mom did everything the right way. My mom was extremely attentive, loving and affectionate, and she always gave us so much attention and care. She was our biggest supporter and still is. I call her every day. She is my idol.
What’s your favorite thing about parenting?My favorite thing is feeling the unconditional love I have for my children. I love waking up in the middle of the night because our daughter snuck in our bed. I’ll see her little face and her nose is on my nose, and she’s smiling. She’ll have messy hair and her little blankets with her. I love going into Forrest’s room while he’s trying to jump out of his crib because he’s so excited. I just love being with them all the time, they’re my favorite people. Knowing that Eric and I made our family out of love makes me fall for them even more. We’re like a wolf pack and there’s nothing stronger than that.
What’s the hardest part?I’d say wanting to make sure you feel like you’re doing everything right because you love your children so much. I never want to let my kids down. Of course, there are times when I have mom guilt when I have to leave for a trip or something work-related. Or, I’ll get down on myself if I forgot about a school event, or if they were supposed to wear the color purple and I completely missed the email. Little things like that will happen, but through those experiences, I’ve learned that I have a really great mom community around me. Even on Instagram, I feel like I see women coming together to support each other because it’s a hard job, but it’s the best job in the world.
What do the holidays mean to you and how will you be spending them with your family this year?Eric and I just moved into anew house, so we are really thrilled to have our first holiday here. He’s already asked to put the Christmas tree up. I’m one of those stubborn people that doesn’t like to put the tree up until Thanksgiving is over because I love to celebrate Thanksgiving on its own, but this year he won.
What’s the best advice you can share with new parents?Expect the unexpected. You won’t really understand until you have kids but you’ll learn to roll with the punches. As long as you’re doing your best and putting love into everything you do, it’ll work itself out.
What would you want your kids to say about you as a parent?I would love for them to say that their mommy is the best. But as they get older, I hope they’ll be able to talk highly of me, as I do my own mother. She makes me feel like I can do anything in this world, and I would love for my children to feel the same way about me.
source: people.com
