Vanessa Lachey and daughter Brooklyn Lachey.Photo:Presley Ann/Getty
Presley Ann/Getty
Vanessa Lachey’s daughter is helping her keep the romance alive with husbandNick Lachey.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, theLove Is Blindco-host, 43, revealed that her 9-year-old daughterBrooklynwants to make sure her parents make time to celebrate their upcoming 13th wedding anniversary together.
Vanessa explained that she will be busy filming season 4 ofNCIS: Hawaiithis summer and won’t be able to ask for time off for her and Nick’s July 15 anniversary. But, the actress said that Brooklyn isn’t about to let her mom and dad miss the special milestone.
“It was just the sweetest thing that it meant so much to her,” she adds, explaining that Brooklyn is “coming into that age of love and romance” and very attune to her parents' relationship dynamics.
Vanessa and Nick Lachey with their three kids.Vanessa Lachey/Instagram
Vanessa Lachey/Instagram
“She’s very aware when Mommy and Daddy are holding hands and loving, and very aware when there’s tension in the room,” Vanessa explains.
“I remember being her age, and I just remember everything going on with my mom leaving me. My mom left me when I was her age. And we talk about that all the time. And honestly, having a 9-year-old daughter, like, I’m going to cry now — I can’t think of ever leaving her,” Vanessa tells PEOPLE.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“So I still will never understand that with my mother, but it really drives me,” she continued. “It drives me in everything I do for [Brooklyn], whether it’s work or whether it’s personal.”
Vanessa says the experience of growing up without her mother motivates her to be the best mother she can be to Brooklyn and has taught her important lessons.
“I remember being that little girl and needing and craving that guidance, and that love, and that safe space. So I’m grateful in a weird way that I came out on the other end of it, and I know now what not to do,” she tells PEOPLE. “I understand what I want to do, and [Brooklyn] accepts it with open arms and lots of love.”
Vanessa and Nick Lachey with their three children.Vanessa Lachey/Instagram
Vanessa also opens up to PEOPLE about the key rule she and Nick always follow when it comes to their three children.
“The one thing that we’ve always agreed on is that we will always, always let our children know how much we love them,” she shares. “It sounds so simple, but I didn’t have that constant affirmation, physically and verbally, when I was younger.”
She continues, “I mean, of course you know you’re loved, but do you really? And sometimes, you like to hear it and you like to feel it. And so, I don’t think that we’ve ever talked about, ‘This is what we have to do,’ but between the two of us, we know our kids need to always know they’re loved, especially after a disciplinary moment.”
source: people.com
