Joanna Gaines Marks Daughter’s 16th Birthday with a Message Every Mom Needs to Hear

Joanna Gaines is always sharing helpful tips and must-have products, from her gorgeous new spring Magnolia collection to her signature chocolate chip cookie recipe to styling tricks that never go out of style. And in one of her latest posts, she’s back at it again, this time sharing advice that every parent will want to hear.

The Magnolia founder, 47, recently took to social media to celebrate her daughter Emmy’s 16th birthday. The video featured a series of clips from Emmy’s childhood, ending with shots of her in the present day. While the soundtrack was Dr. Dog’s “Where’d All the Time Go?,” the real message came through in Joanna’s caption.

“Our baby girl is SIXTEEN and driving! I already miss taking her to school in the morning and to all of her sports and alllll the many places she needed to go,” she wrote.

Then came the advice every parent should take note of: “If you’re in the season of life where you feel like a taxi driver for your kids, enjoy the moments and the miles with them. It goes by so fast.”

This isn’t the first time Joanna has gotten sentimental about her growing family.

In August 2025, she shared a heartfelt message about her children: “They told me it would go by quicker than I think. That the days are slow but the years are fast. And darn it if they were right. This beautiful gift of time has roared past us all just like I was told. My oldest son left for his third year of college while my oldest daughter packs for her first year across the country.”

She continued, “This season already feels like one big, breathless surrender. Lord, how do I hold them close while also letting go? Help me to embrace change with a heart filled with hope for the part I know to be truer than the rest—my kids and I may have been made for each other, but I also believe they were made for more."

"More experiences, more knowledge, more growing than could ever happen within our walls. To all the parents packing up and moving kids to new places, and to all those with years still to spare: hold them close, hold them well, and let’s all lean on each other when the time comes to hold it together,” Joanna concluded.

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