Joanna Gaines Shares the 1 Surprising House Rule She Makes Her Kids Follow
Fixer Upper star Joanna Gaines shares five kids with her husband Chip Gaines, and she revealed that the famous couple has a surprising house rule for their children. Here’s how the HGTV stars run their household and the one strange rule their kids must follow.
Joanna Gaines tries to keep her house clean, but she has also learned to be ‘practical’ when it comes to her kids
Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines have plenty to keep their hands full between their five kids, their farm, and their ever-expanding empire. With all those children and farm animals running around, and so much time spent working on their businesses, it’s hard to imagine how they manage to keep their house tidy.
Joanna revealed her philosophy on house cleaning. “I try my best to keep the house looking clean, but honestly with four kids you can find plenty of messes,” she told Today in October 2016 (two years before her youngest son, Crew, was born). “I don’t have a special technique other than I can’t focus when the house is a wreck, so cleaning is therapeutic for me. That works in my favor sometimes.”
She has also learned to design her home around what’s practical for her children. “A few years ago I realized I was decorating and designing my house around what was beautiful rather than practical for my family,” Joanna shared. “When I made that realization, everything kind of clicked for me. I started being intentional about designing spaces with my kids in mind, rather than picture-perfect rooms.”
Joanna Gaines has a surprising house rule for her kids
Although it can be hectic keeping track of all the kids and farm animals, Joanna Gaines revealed the one surprising house rule she and Chip make their children follow.
“‘No goats in the house’ is the only one that comes to mind immediately,” the Fixer Upper star said. “You’d be surprised how tough this one is to keep!”
Besides keeping the farm animals outside, the Gaineses have a few other house rules. For example, they try to limit their kids’ screen time.
“Our rule for the iPad is that the kids can use it a certain amount of time every other day,” Joanna told Southern Living in 2019. “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.”
She added, “It’s funny when I say, ‘No iPad games,’ and then see the things they create and invent on their own,” she continued. “I’m like: ‘That! That’s the stuff right there, kids.’”
The ‘Fixer Upper’ star’s baby goats kept them up at night
Fixer Upper fans know how much Chip and Joanna Gaines love their kids and animals. In fact, Chip once revealed that the family’s baby goats are the one thing that keeps him up at night.
“For me, it’s less about business,” he told Country Living in February 2017. “What keeps me up at night is the idea that a coyote could come to our place and get our beautiful, little goats that have just been born in the last few weeks. When I hear those little suckers, hooping and hollering, I’m always like, ‘Oh no! There’s a coyote, I better go check on them.’ It’s more agricultural concerns that keep me up at night.”
But when it comes to the Fixer Upper star’s five children, Chip sleeps soundly. “I don’t worry about the kids at all,” he said.
