Jessie James Decker credits her unique military roots to her approach to motherhood.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the 37-year-old mom-of-four – who recently partnered with Rocket Mortgage and USO for their “Homefront Heroes” initiative – opened up about how her upbringing played a major role in raising “resilient” kids and explained how her mom’s view on life helped shift her own mindset.
“I don’t know that my mom would ever say that there were any challenges [being a military spouse],” Decker, whose father served in the Air Force, said. “She’s the most positive person, so she looked at the whole experience as the most incredible adventure, and she was just the most proud military spouse you could ever imagine. She was so happy to be part of it. She loved what her husband did for this country, and she never complained once.”
Decker, who was joined by her mom, Karen Parker, for an Instagram Live session on Friday in celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, said her mom’s approach to parenting inspired her own way of doing things.
“I can honestly tell you when it was time to move, she was like, ‘Time to go!’ and we would just box everything and roll to the next place,” Decker told Fox News Digital. “She always did it with a smile on her face.”
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While the moves made her “resilient and adaptable,” Decker admitted it was challenging at times – but her mom was always there to carry the burden and make things fun.
“I think just her positive attitude and her ability to, she always had this way about her and made everything feel at ease,” she continued. “So something that maybe would’ve been stressful for the family, she was able to kind of spin on it, you know what I mean?”
“When we moved, she would do things like, ‘OK, we’re in a new place and let’s find the top five fun things about this city and let’s go do them, or let’s learn about them, or let’s go to the library. Let’s get books on the new place that we’re going to be moving to and let’s all just spread out on the carpet… let’s look it all up.’ She was always very positive. And so I feel like I’ve definitely instilled that in my children, where I make everything fun and exciting, and I’m able to put a twist on anything that may be tough.”
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Decker and her husband, Eric Decker, share four kids: Vivianne, 11, Eric Jr., 9, Forrest, 7, and Denver, 1.
The singer, who recently celebrated her son’s first birthday, said she could not be more “proud” of herself and the challenges she’s overcome when it comes to motherhood.
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“I’ve had four C-sections and I have breastfed and cried over breastfeeding struggles and celebrated breastfeeding victories, and I’ve lost my hair,” she said. “I’m proud of the mother that I am. I started having children 11 years ago and I’ve had four children since then. And every single baby that I’ve brought into this world has been an incredible journey to motherhood, and I just cannot believe what my body has done. It’s just unbelievable.”
“I am proud of my body because when you have four children, you do want to feel healthy, and you do want to feel strong, because I want to have the energy to be the best mother that I can be, and I want to be healthy, and I want to set that example to my children,” she added. “So it is a true statement. I am proud of my body more than I ever have, but it is more than just the surface.”
