Joanna Gaines Blacks Out Tooth to Recreate Throwback School Photo: 'I'll Probably Regret This'

And, of course, her husband Chip had some thoughts

Published on November 12, 2020 02:42 PM

Joanna Gaines just recreated an adorable photo from her childhood in honor of the launch of her new children's book, The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be.

The Fixer Upper star, 42, took to Instagram on Wednesday night to share a throwback photo of herself in grade school alongside a photo of herself now. She mimics her childhood photo in the current one by donning a pink sweater, tousling her hair, and blacking out one of her teeth that had been missing at the time. and

"Not much has changed and I'll probably regret this photo but it's worth saying again kids... the world needs who you were made to be! ✨" she captioned the post.

"You are the cutest human alive!!!!!" Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of The Home Edit commented on the post. Joanna's husband, Chip, also commented: "Umm.. Jo."

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, the HGTV star posted the same photo (minus the recreation) alongside a thoughtful message about the importance of kids knowing that they are good enough, no matter who they are — and revealing how she struggled to understand that when she was young.

"The older I get, the more I realize how much time I spent believing the lie that who I was wasn't good enough. I find myself fighting to get all of that time back — all of the moments I wasted hiding who I was by trying to be something I wasn't," she began the post.

"So as I sit here now, with years of living and learning behind me, I want so badly to go back in time to that little girl — a little girl who happens to be half Korean and shy and a little bit self-conscious — to tell her that not only is she good enough, but she is extraordinary," she continued. "I want to go back and tell her to be kind to herself because the world needs exactly who she was made to be."

She then wrote directly to the kids she hopes the book's message reaches: "And believe me when I say that the same is true for you. I hope you find the courage to embrace all that you are—all of your quirks, all of your beauty, all of your brilliance — because the world needs YOU."

The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be, Joanna's second children's title, debuted November 10.

The sweet story about a group of kids building hot air balloons for a big adventure conveys the message that working together and accepting and embracing each other's differences is what makes life — or a sky full of balloons — more vibrant.

RELATED VIDEO: Joanna Gaines' 2-Year-Old Son Crew Makes Her Feel Younger: 'I See the World Like He Does'

The mom of five has said that she was inspired to write the book by watching her kids — sons Crew, 2, Duke, 12, and Drake, 15, and daughters Emmie Kay, 10, and Ella Rose, 13 — grow up and evolve.

The New York Times bestselling author's first children's book, We Are the Gardeners, which was published in March 2019, was similarly inspired by the Gaines children — and was actually co-written by them.

Though Crew was too young, Gaines enlisted the four older kids to help chronicle their adventures in starting a family garden at their farm in Waco, Texas.

From funny failed endeavors to encountering obstacles like "bunnies that eat everything" Joanna told PEOPLE at the time that the book was, "Our way of sharing what the garden means to us, and the many adventures we've had along the way!"

Both We Are the Gardeners and The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be are illustrated by artist Julianna Swaney and available to purchase now.