Hoda Kotb's Lesson On Honesty
- Today host Hoda Kotb spoke on the air about how she’s teaching her young daughter the value of honesty.
- Instead of punishing her daughter for lies, she says she’s found success by giving positive reinforcement.
- The 57-year-old has previously talked about the stress of infertility after being treated for breast cancer.
Hoda Kotb passed along a valuable lesson she’s been teaching her daughter Haley during an episode of the TODAY show.
"We were going through stages of ‘I’m just tricking you, I’m just tricking you, I’m just tricking you. You laugh along with the tricking and then you realize, everything is a trick," she said. But instead of snapping at her daughter for lying, she said she’s found much better results with positive reinforcement.
Read MoreHoda’s Cancer Battle
Kotb is able to impart these lessons after going through a battle with breast cancer that began 15 years ago. In February 2007, doctors discovered lumps in her breast tissue, leading to a breast cancer diagnosis. Kotb underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
Now, Kotb is cancer-free, but has also discussed going through infertility following her treatment. She went on to adopt two daughters Haley Joy in 2017 and Hope Catherine in 2019.
She’s also been doing great, personally. On Today, she said her 50s have been her best years so far.
"When you get to be in your fifties and you're a woman, you do know exactly who you are," Kotb told co-host Jenna Bush Hager. "Like I'm here to tell you, as you go through your years in life, your best years, your most confident years, your clearest years, are ahead for you."
"Imagine where you are right now. You have confidence, you have a beautiful life that you guys have built. It will get better and better, because you'll know exactly who you are."
Breast Cancer Facts
Breast cancer remains incredibly common in the United States, with around one in eight women being diagnosed over the course of their lifetime, making it the second most common type of cancer among women. According to BreastCancer.org, over 43,000 American women are expected to die of the disease this year.
Genetic testing has become a key part of risk assessment for cancer, due to the disease’s link to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Women with mutations on those genes are at increased risk of developing breast cancer. However, those mutations are linked to only five to 10 per cent of breast cancer cases.
The American Cancer Society recommends several steps to help catch breast cancer early, including yearly mammograms for women as young as 40, although that age goes down to 30 for women who are at high risk for the disease.
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