Photo:Jeannie Mai/instagram
Jeannie Mai/instagram
Jeannie Mai Jenkinsis opening up about the role her family plays in her daughter’s life.
Balancing it all can require some extra help, and Jenkins, who recently launched a newhibiscus margaritaflavor of her Owl’s Brew boozy tea, tells PEOPLE that she is grateful to have a reliable circle around for her 17-month-old daughterMonaco.
Jenkins said she and her husband,Jeezy, are on the same page about having their families around, sharing that they both have a “family first” mindset.
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Jeannie Mai Jenkins/Instagram
“We have no problem calling somebody up to be like we’re dropping her off or coming in 30 minutes,” the Owl’s BrewChief Brand Officerreveals.
More than just a helping hand, the formerThe Realco-host explains that having members from both sides of the family present in Monaco’s life is also important bringing connect her with herculture.
“It really does take a village, and not just to help you but also to help your child just identify themselves with their family and who plays what roles,” Jenkins shares. “That’s big for me as a Vietnamese American — family is everything.”
She adds: “Monaco is a beautiful Black Vietnamese American, and what that means is really understanding what being Black means from your grandfather, what being Black means from your cousin, what being Vietnamese means from your grandmother, because she has a totally different take than what I have as a Vietnamese American.”
Mama Mai/Instagram
The entrepreneur also tells PEOPLE that her whole family recently came together for their annual Father’s Day party, where Monaco “revealed to me that she can swim.”
“She actually went underwater and swam over to me, and seeing this little body of, like, pudding, you know, just kind of migrate over to you in the water is everything,” she says. “I bawled.”
“We have a lot of plans,” she says with a laugh.
Jeannie Mai/Instagram
Since Monaco’s arrival in January 2022, Jenkins has been vocal about the challenges that come with being a first-time mom.
“That little person has completely awakened me to seeing the world a whole different way,” she said on the PEOPLEEvery Daypodcastin December. “And the crazy thing is, my daughter gives me so much confidence. I like myself more as a mom. I like myself more getting up and taking care of somebody else and tending to her and watching her actually register things that we’ve worked so hard to teach her. I can’t believe, like, that’s such an accomplishment. I didn’t realize that.”
source: people.com
