The RHONJ mom speaks on the "emotions and feelings" involved in raising her teen sons, Gino and Joey, as the latter preps for high school.
It’s safe to say that Melissa Gorga's sons are growing up right before our eyes. Over the years, fans have watched Melissa and her husband, Joe Gorga, raise their three children, Antonia, Gino, and Joey Gorga, on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. In Season 14 of the series, viewers even got a glimpse of Antonia as she embarked on her freshman year of college, leaving her mom in a household full of guys.
More recently, Melissa sat down with BravoTV.com to dish on her love for being a boy mom, revealing what’s next for her sons in their academics and what it’s like to raise the two teenagers.
Is Gino Gorga going to college?
While Gino may be the next Gorga to leave the nest, Melissa noted that he has yet to reveal any college plans, considering he's only a sophomore in high school. “So maybe next year we'll start to discuss that with Gino, but not yet. He's just not sure yet," she said.
Melissa Gorga’s thoughts on Gino’s clothing line, Placidity
College isn’t on Gino’s mind just yet, but he has already expressed interest in becoming an entrepreneur. ICYMI, Gino recently started Placidity Clothing, a clothing line with his friend, Matteo DeMarco. And you better believe the mom of three is beyond proud of her son following in her footsteps of entering the fashion industry.
“So Gino, all by himself with a good friend of his without warning me, telling me, ordered the clothes without me [and] with their own money, [and] created a company called Placidity Clothing,” Melissa shared. “And the meaning of placidity was so crazy to me... It kind of means, like, calm. It means chill. It means, kind of like, stay in your own lane. And I just thought it was so great.”
Melissa went on to mention how Gino and his friend’s brand offers a variety of apparel, from hoodies to sweatshirts. During the interview, the RHONJ ‘Wife also detailed how Gino has had an incredible work ethic, saying, “He's always been like that. That's who Gino is.”
She added: “I always said he's gonna be like the hardest worker in the family. He gets that both from Joe and I, but he's got it all. He's the one that's always gonna be five steps ahead thinking about making money, thinking about business: That's Gino, so I'm very proud of him.”
Melissa Gorga gives an update on her son, Joey Jr., as he graduates 8th grade
Gino isn’t the only one celebrating accomplishments in his life. Joey Jr. is also gearing up for something big soon. “Little Joey is about to graduate 8th grade,” Melissa told BravoTV.com. “Yes, he's about to go to high school, which now I can't believe. I'm gonna have another one entering high school, but he's doing [a] great job.”
As for how Joey behaves in and outside of school, the Envy boutique owner noted that her son is “a real typical eighth-grade boy that's just trying to figure it all out.” However, she made to clarify that Joey is “the life” of the Gorga household.
Melissa Gorga reveals what it's like to raise teenage boys
Although Melissa enjoys spending time with her sons and husband, she admitted that the "male energy" can be overwhelming. “All boys, it's like even my dog, Nico, is a boy. And it's just like, I'm surrounded by it,” she explained. “There's sports on every channel, the Knicks game, football, you name it… And I'm just around a lot of male energy.”
Melissa even admitted to taking a brief pause from the leading guys in her life on some days, saying, “I just go in my room sometimes when they're all in the living room... I'm like, ‘Where's my daughter? Because she left me here all alone with all these boys.’”
She concluded: “But it's cute. I love being a boy mom. I do. So it's fine."
The mom also got honest about the difficulties in raising teenagers. “I would say raising the teenage girls is so much harder than raising the boys, like if I'm comparing, [Antonia], was so much like more difficult,” she said. As for the difference between parenting girls and boys, Melissa pinpointed it to them having "more emotions and feelings.”
You can hear more from Melissa on parenting her kids in the clip above.
