A lot of mothers dream of their little girl becoming a famous model and even spend money trying to make it happen as soon as possible, TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” for example. But when you have first hand experience of the industry like Heidi Klum, you might wait a little. Heidi and Seal’s daughter Leni Olumi Klum is 16 and made her modeling debut this past December, starring on the German Vogue Cover with her famous mama. For a new face in the industry, she’s already paving the way become a top model just like mom. Leni may have started when she was 16 but she was 12 when she got her first job offer. Mama knows best though and refused. Now, Klum can’t be happier to see her daughter rock the runway as she did.

Leni revealed that her first job offer came from Brandy Melville in her interview with Vogue. “It was only a matter of time before I would try to become a model,” she explained. “The first offer came when I was only 12 or 13, from a brand I liked to wear: Brandy Melville. At that time I begged my mother, but no chance. Now I understand that it would have been too early.” Heidi talked to PEOPLE and said she finally agreed to let her model because she’s “now old enough.” The supermodel explained, “She’s been doing fantastic. She’s been wanting to model for quite some time. And I finally said yes because she’s now old enough, she’s almost 17. She started with the German Vogue cover and she has another cover that’s coming out in two months.”

Lina clearly has a bright future ahead and opened up for Berlin Fashion Week last January. “She opened Berlin Fashion Week where I saw her walk for the first time, in heels like as a real fashion model. It‘s mind-blowing to me to watch her work, especially the first thing I did together with her and now she’s doing things by herself, even though I go to the set,” Klum said.
The proud mom continued, “It‘s amazing to watch her do it all. She’s been coming to my sets for her entire life and she’s not really afraid of the cameras being stuck in her face. I do Germany’s Next Top Model and she’s done a lot of the shoots the models had to do. A lot of the times at the end of the shoots, she would be like, ‘Now it’s my turn!’ off-camera. She’s done so much over the years, she loves it. She loves it!”

As for mom? She’ll be back in her Americas Got Talent judging seat this summer along with Sofia Vergara, Simon Cowell, Kelly Clarkson, and Howie Mandel.