Joanna Gaines shares emotional photo hugging her son Drake as he heads off to college

Joanna Gaines says goodbye to her son for a while.

On Thursday, August 8, the HGTV star, 46, shared a sweet photo on Instagram as her 18-year-old son, Drake, heads off to college in the fall. Wearing a yellow baseball cap and large sunglasses, Gaines hugs her son, who has his arms wrapped around his mother.

“Saying goodbye never gets easier,” Gaines wrote in her caption. “Much love to all the parents sending their kids to school this year 🤍.”

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Besides Drake, Joanna has four other children with her husband Chip Gaines, 49: sons Duke, 15, and Crew, 6, and daughters Ella, 17, and Emmie, 13.

In July, Joanna posted a sweet video on Instagram of her son Crew casting fishing line into a nearby pond. Crew was seen wearing a yellow t-shirt and black shorts, casting line over and over as his mother proudly looked on.

“Practice makes perfect ✨🐟,” Gaines wrote in her caption.

In May, Joanna celebrated her son Duke’s 16th birthday. The mother of five shared a sweet video on Instagram showing her decorating her dining table for her son’s birthday, hanging large balloons, putting up a “Happy Birthday” sign and placing presents on the table.

The proud mom then announced that Duke had passed his driving test and shared a photo of the teen signing some papers while Chip took a selfie.

The video ends with Joanna waving to the new driver in the driveway to come home. “This is the third time I’ve done this and mommy is still crying. #16,” Joanna captioned the clip.