enna Bush Hager has revealed how she struggled over tensions with her dad during her childhood, when he would try to help her with her homework. “There was a period of time when I made bad grades,” the 43-year-old-shared with co-hosts during Friday’s episode of Today With Jenna & Friends. Co-host Sheinelle Jones asked Jenna how her parents, Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura Bush, would “handle it” and Jenna laughed: “My dad would sit with me at that kitchen table and try to teach me math, and we’d get in big fights and I’d cry myself to sleep.”

Sheinelle added that Jenna’s situation was relatable, saying she thinks it’s typical of “kitchen tables all over this country at night.”

Despite those early struggles, Jenna graduated from the University of Texas in Austin and later became a teacher before starting her career in television.

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Jenna Bush Hager and Matt Rogers on Jenna & Friends

Jenna and her husband, Henry Hager, recently returned from a summer vacation in Italy with their three children, Mila, 12, Poppy, 10, and Hal, six. The family visited Rome and toured around before coming back in time for the children to start school.

Jenna shared pics of the Rome Cavaliere Waldorf Astoria hotel, hinting that she and her family stayed there during their visit. The hotel is set on Rome’s highest hilltop, offers guests panoramic views of the city, and access to a pool to beat the Roman heat. And, it is home to Rome’s only 3-Michelin star restaurant. The luxury hotel was definitely a comfortable place for Jenna and her family to stay.

Jenna Bush Hager on Today

On her return, Jenna spoke about having to miss her children’s first day back at school due to work commitments, admitting to guest host Willie Geist that as a parent it’s not always possible to be there for every moment for your children.

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Jenna and husband Henry on vacation

“You know, I think sometimes, and I know you’ve felt this, as a parent, we can’t be at everything,” the mom-of-three shared. “So to miss the first day was hard, but the other thing is, kids are so resilient. Humans are so resilient.” She also shared that she was able to call them after school to check in.

“I called and I’m like, ‘Hey, how was the first day?’ And Hal was like, ‘It was so different than pre-K. Kindergarten is so much harder,’” she said. “And then I talked to Mila, and she was like, ‘I already have homework! Seventh grade is so hard!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, these kids are alright.’”

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Jenna Bush Hager’s kids Poppy, Mila and Hal during a family vacation in Rome

Jenna also shared a photo of her three kids ahead of their school day, holding handmade flags detailing which year group they were entering into. “I made them hold those signs,” she said. “Kinder, seventh grade and fourth grade, which I can’t believe. But they had such a good day!”