Over the years, Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines have invited viewers into their homes on episodes of Fixer Upper. Aside from watching the couple work their magic and renovate houses, fans have come to know them as the loving parents of their five kids: Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie and Crew.
Joanna and Chip started their family shortly after they tied the knot in May 2003. The home renovation duo welcomed their eldest child, Drake, in 2005, followed by daughter Ella Rose in 2006. Two years later, son Duke arrived in 2008, and Emmie Kay made her arrival in 2010. Nearly a decade passed before Chip and Jo completed their brood when the Homebody author gave birth to son Crew in 2018.
There’s no denying the Magnolia owners have dedicated a ton of time to their TV gigs and other business endeavors, but there was never a shortage of love when it came to their roles as dad and mom. “Being good parents is Chip and Joanna’s first priority,” an insider exclusively told Closer in April 2019.
“It’s about quality time together,” the source added. “They always eat meals together at the table and their family nights include games like cards and checkers, then bedtime stories and prayers. Everyone says they have the perfect life.”
As far as parenting goes, Joanna definitely knows how to have fun with her kiddos. However, the insider dished she has rules, which include “homework first, then play,” “no computers after 6 p.m” and especially “no cell phones or TV” at certain times of the day. “In the evening, the kids kick back by reading each other stories,” the source added.
During an appearance on Today in July 2021, Joanna opened up about the reason the couple is so hesitant when it comes to giving their children screen time. “They’re developing, they’re growing … and as they’re growing at 14, 15, 16, I don’t want [them constantly checking their phones] to be [a] part of who they become, you know?” she told host Hoda Kotb.
In order to help their kids develop a healthy relationship with social media and technology, she and Chip have a “house rule” that “all the phones go in one spot” whenever their family is home. “So if you want to check a text, if you want to check an email, you go to that spot, but it’s not on your bodies,” she explained. “We want to teach our kids that life happens outside of these devices.”
Spending time with their family has always remained Chip and Joanna’s biggest priority. In a February 2022 interview with Closer, the couple explained how they raise their children with good values.
“It’s in how intentional we are about reinforcing goodness within our home, nurturing our values as a family over and over again until it takes,” Chip said at the time.
The dad of five is proud of everything his children have accomplished and the life lessons they’ve continued to absorb from their parents while growing up.
“I’ve witnessed how the way we treat one another under our own roof becomes the standard by which we measure every other encounter when we step out into the world,” he added.
Joanna echoed the same sentiment, sharing that the three things that matter the most to her are “my family, my friendships and the work that grounds us.”
Scroll through the gallery below to learn all about Chip and Joanna’s children!
Closer
