Joanna Gaines became emotional as her son, Duke, turned 16 and also got his driver’s license in a new Instagram post uploaded on Saturday.
The Fixer Upper star, 46 – whose husband Chip Gaines recently faced backlash after claiming that ‘everybody’s got money’ – could be seen decorating ahead of a birthday bash for her third eldest child.
The TV personality shares Drake, 19, Ella, 17, Duke, 16, Emmie, 14 and Crew, five, with husband Chip – whom she tied the knot with in 2003.
She captioned the reel to her 13.7 million fans and followers, ‘Third time doing this and it still makes mama cry. #16.’
At the beginning of the video, Joanna filmed some of her children as well as herself as they set up blue, green and white balloons near the kitchen and living room area of their home.
Joanna Gaines, 46, became emotional as her son, Duke, turned 16 and also got his driver’s license in a new Instagram post uploaded on Saturday
She shared a special montage taken by husband Chip Gaines as their son officially passed his test to acquire his driving license
At one point, Gaines was spotted stepping onto the rectangular-shaped table to hang a ‘Happy Birthday’ sign from the light fixture above.
She then panned the camera to better show off the neat, living space that includes a brown leather couch and soft rug.
A photo then appeared during the special montage that was taken by Chip as their son officially passed his test to acquire his driving license.
In text added over the selfie that showed the father-of-five flashing a proud smile, it read: ‘He passed!’
The video then jumped to Joanna standing in the middle of a long driveway as she waved towards a vehicle that was seemingly being driven by the 16-year-old.
During the course of the clip, the track titled Good Times Go By Too Fast by Dylan Scott played in the background.
While talking to People back in 2022, Joanna opened up about motherhood and expressed, ‘I always thought, “I’m the mom, I should have the answers.”‘
However, she added, ‘The older I’ve gotten, I’ve realized the more humanity these kids can see in me, the more we’re going to connect.’
The Fixer Upper star could be seen decorating ahead of a birthday bash for her third eldest child
She captioned the reel to her 13.7 million fans and followers, ‘Third time doing this and it still makes mama cry. #16’
At one point, Gaines was spotted stepping onto the rectangular-shaped table to hang a ‘Happy Birthday’ sign from the light fixture above
The video then jumped to Joanna standing in the middle of a long driveway as she waved towards a vehicle that was seemingly being driven by the 16-year-old
‘I want them to see the highs and lows, so when they’re feeling anxieties about school or relationships, they know it’s a safe place for them to come to me,’ the HGTV star continued.
On the topic of her children getting older, she expressed that she is ‘reminded to not take these moments for granted.’
The mother-of-five also gushed that her kids are very supportive, stating, ‘They’re encouraging me as I walk out the door like, “Mom, you’ve got this. Just be yourself, have fun.” Sometimes I feel like they’re the parents.’
Last year, Joanna and husband Chip reached a big milestone of their own and celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.
While also talking to People at the time, she told the outlet, ‘I would say, as we’re getting older, I’m shifting and I’m more like Chip, and Chip is more like me.’
Chip – who also joined in on the interview – added, ‘Jo and I are in this beautiful moment. We’re evolving into each other. It’s the second part of our marriage.’
During the interview with the publication, the couple also talked about raising their five children, with four of them already in their teenage years.
‘Chip is really good at saying, “You need your own identity. When you’re finished with college, go do some stuff on your own. Learn some stuff. And then if you want to come back years later and teach us, we’re here,”‘ Joanna explained.
Her eldest child, Drake, is currently in college and Joanna recalled saying goodbye to her son.
While talking to People back in 2022, Joanna opened up about motherhood and expressed, ‘I always thought, “I’m the mom, I should have the answers”‘
Last year, Joanna and husband Chip reached a big milestone of their own and celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary; seen in 2022 in Los Angeles
‘It’s this tension of joy and pain, all in one breath. Even now when I’m setting the table, I have to consciously go, “Oh, there’s only six here.”‘
‘The greatest gift of having a kid go off to college and having a 5-year-old is that perspective. It’s not here forever. We don’t want to waste these moments,’ the star continued.
Joanna – who previously confessed she had a ‘midlife crisis’ after her son left for college – also reflected on her marriage to Chip and said, ‘We’ve had so much change in our lives, and the proof is there: Change is hard, but it’s always beautiful.’
‘I hope that it’s just the beginning. I hope that we get to look back in 20 years from now, and feel just as confident that we were meant to be. We really feel like we are in some ways just getting started,’ her husband added.