Get the latest gossip

Joanna Gaines Was 'So Sad' When Son Drake Went to College. Now She's Preparing Her Heart for Her Daughter to Ella Leave (Exclusive)

Joanna Gaines' son Drake, 19, going to college was a wake-up call. The mom of five is mentally preparing her daughter Ella to leave the nest, she tells PEOPLE.

Joanna and her husband Chip Gaines, who wed in in 2003, share five children together: Drake, Ella, Duke, 16, Emmie, 15, and Crew, 6. With all of her teenage children transitioning into life as young adults, the Fixer Upper co-host also says she's made a conscious decision to make sure she slows down herself. "Knowing that [the older kids] will be gone in the next few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to create micro-moments, to feel in the now with our family, just be really more intentional with our time together," she tells PEOPLE.

Get the Android app