Jenna Bush Hager Reveals the ‘Absolute Best Blessing’ from Her Parents During Her Teen Years (Exclusive)

Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager knows a thing or two about dealing with the public scrutiny that comes with having famous parents. And as an author and co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna, she's never been shy about revealing her day-to-day life, both past and present.

Bush Hager, 41, has been candid about her public journey from first daughter to mother-of-three over the years, previously admitting that "logistics can be difficult" while juggling all of her responsibilities, which include curating the Read with Jenna book club picks.

Now, she shares how she's tried to take a page out of her own mother and father's parenting book, impressed with their ability to give her a "pretty normal childhood" and — more importantly — "the grace to fail" as she navigated life in the public eye.

"I had parents that really supported us and never made us feel bad about mistakes that we made," Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "But yeah, it wasn't easy. And yet I'm so thankful for all of it."

Bush Hager and her fraternal twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, were 7 years old when their grandfather, President George H.W. Bush, was sworn in. And when they were 13, their father became the governor of Texas.

"It's interesting. I had such a juxtaposition," Bush Hager says, remembering her family's political ascension.

She had grandparents on one side of the family living in Midland, Texas — her maternal grandfather built homes for a living and her maternal grandmother didn't finish college. On the other side of the family, she had grandparents who were living in the vice president's house and, eventually, the White House.

"We weirdly lived a very normal childhood," she says, noting that even though they would visit Washington, D.C. during their grandfather's presidency, they were full-time Texas residents. "We drove ourselves to Austin High School, had completely great childhood friends that had been there for us forever."

But in 2001, while Bush Hager was attending college in Austin, her father was sworn in as the 43rd U.S. president.

"When my dad became president, everything changed," she says, alluding to the media frenzy she and her sister fell into after becoming first daughters. "We just wanted to be normal college kids."

The relentless attention she received into young adulthood was difficult to weather, only made easier through the unwavering support of her family.

"I think the world was expecting us to be perfect, even though our parents did not, which is the absolute best blessing that they could have ever given us. The freedom to just be ourselves and to make mistakes," Bush Hager tells PEOPLE. "Because I don't know how I would be a mother without having the grace to fail. I think kids, teenagers are so scared of making mistakes now."

Bush Hager and her husband, Henry Chase Hager, are proud parents to daughters Mila and Poppy, and son Hal. Despite their busy lifestyles, when it comes to family time, she says her 77-year-old father is a loving grandparent who values interacting with the little ones.

"He was definitely a hands-on dad," Bush Hager says of the former president. "He was home and with us every single night. He was an equal parent to my mom. And I think that isn't surprising if you know him. He loved being a father and he loves to be a grandfather."

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