Advertisement

Hoda Kotb Gets Emotional as She Shares 'Scariest Part' of Being an Older Mom: 'You Do the Math'

Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb/Instagram

Hoda Kotb is opening up about the challenges of being an older mom.

During Tuesday's episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, the 57-year-old gets candid about being a mom to two young daughters at an older age, admitting that it can be "scary" to think about "how much time you have."

"As an older mom, I think there are a lot of beautiful parts and challenges too. I see all the good parts about being an older mom. Like, I'm in my own skin, I know who I am, I've got much more patience and love and all that stuff. But along with that also comes the fact that you're an older mother," says Kotb, who is mom to daughters Haley Joy, 5, and Hope Catherine, 3.

"You can't help it — sometimes people will come up and say, 'Wait, you're the mother?' And it gives you this pause for a second. And your kids look around like, 'Huh? What are you talking about?' It's a tough thing to do," she continues. "I remember thinking, 'Why does that bother me? I'm not embarrassed to be my age. I'm happy at my age. It's the perfect storm of my life. Two kids, this time, this job.' Someone was saying, 'It gets greatest later' — it does get greater later, but in between, there are these moments that you feel an 'Ouch!' "

The Today co-host, who shares her girls with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, explains those hard feelings had "nothing to do with whether or not she thought I was too old to be her mother" but reminds her of one of the "scariest parts" of being an older mother: "Wondering how much time you have."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Hoda Kotb daughters
Hoda Kotb daughters

Hoda Kotb/Instagram

RELATED: Hoda Kotb Says It 'Takes My Breath Away' to Think About Celebrating 5 Years of Mother's Days

"That is a big thought and worry and you wonder, you do the math a lot and that's something I don't like doing because it's scary," she explains.

However, Kotb says a recent conversation with her mother showed her a silver lining.

"My mom came to visit me and I looked at her and said, 'At least 30 years more. At least. That's 35 for Hailey, that's 33 for Hope. That makes me feel very full.'"

Kotb and Schiffman adopted Haley in 2017 and Hope in 2019. The journalist says she felt inspired to adopt at her age after watching her friend Sandra Bullock go through a similar experience.

"I remember looking up and seeing Sandra Bullock talk about her adoption on screen. And you know what I did? I Googled 'How old is Sandra Bullock?' And I was like, 'Oh my God, she's my age! And she's delightful and vibrant and full of everything,' " Kotb recalls.

"And I thought to myself, 'You don't know when your moment is happening. You don't know when your moment's coming. But when you see it, you take it.' "