Chip and Joanna Gaines are quite possibly the greatest television success story of the last decade. The Waco, Texas couple got their start on HGTV’s Fixer Upper and gained a mass, cult-like following thanks to their down-to-earth personalities, Chip’s incredible sense of humor, and Joanna’s incomparable eye for decorating.
The Gaines’ stepped away from their hit show after five seasons so that they could focus more on their family that includes Drake, Ella Rose, Duke, Emmie Kay and their newest addition, Baby Crew!
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But, even while the couple was filming Fixer Upper, they maintained a strict schedule and had boundaries that kept them as close and available to their kids as they could be.
In an effort to make the most of their family time and keep their children grounded, Chip and Joanna’s house is television-free. They’ve also stated that their kids won’t be getting cell phones until they go to college. Instead, they want their kids to spend time being kids.
“We want to teach our kids that life happens outside of these devices,” Joanna tells Entertainment Tonight. “It’s just a simple thing to go outside and connect with nature, play with your friends, and get dirty.”
If you know anything about Chip Gaines you know that their children don’t lack for adventure and will most likely never miss having a television or a cell phone. Many of these adventures have been shared on Chip and Joanna’s social media accounts. Check some of them out below!
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But, screen time isn’t completely off limits at the Gaines’ home. In a conversation with Jenna Bush Hager for Southern Living, Joanna says that while the couple doesn’t have a television, they do have an iPad that their children are allowed to use….with strict rules.
“Our rule for the iPad is that the kids can use it a certain amount of time every other day,” says Joanna. “It’s contingent on them doing their chores and homework. I try hard to make it not the thing they look forward to every day. I don’t want them focusing on that.”
“It’s funny when I say, ‘No iPad games,’ and then see the things they create and invent on their own,” she adds of the benefit to limiting the kids’ screen time. “I’m like: ‘That! That’s the stuff right there, kids.’ “