You know the feeling, right? We all want our kids to enjoy the outdoors, especially if we live in a place as beautiful as Waco, Texas. That's exactly what Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines are doing with their five kids. In a recent heart-to-heart with Jenna Bush Hager for the March issue of Southern Living, Joanna opened up about how she and Chip manage screen time in their home. Guess what? There’s no TV in their house, and they’ve set some pretty clear rules about using the family iPad.
How the Gaines Family Handles Screen Time
Joanna, a mom of five—Drake, 14; Ella Rose, 12; Duke, 9; Emmie Kay, 8; and Crew, 8 months—shared their approach to technology. "Our rule for the iPad is that the kids can use it for a certain amount of time every other day," the 40-year-old mom explained. She added that this privilege comes with conditions: the kids have to finish their chores and homework first. "I try hard to make it not the thing they look forward to every day. I don’t want them focusing on that," Joanna said, emphasizing her desire to keep screen time in check.
View this post on InstagramWalked into this cuddlefest and my heart almost burst 😍
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Encouraging Creativity Without Screens
Joanna revealed that when the iPad is off limits, her kids get super creative. "It’s funny when I say, ‘No iPad games,’ and then see the things they create and invent on their own," she said. She finds joy in watching them explore their imaginations. "I’m like: ‘That! That’s the stuff right there, kids.’" It's clear that Joanna values fostering her children's creativity and independence.
Parenting in a Digital Age
Raising kids today is a world apart from how Joanna and Chip grew up. During her chat with Jenna, Joanna admitted that she's constantly learning new things about parenting. "Looking through the lens of my older children has really helped me see that," Joanna said. She reflected on a recent weekend when she took her youngest, Crew, to the doctor. "The simplest things are highlighted to you," she explained. "Before it was ‘I have to get through it.’ I’ve learned so much through this season of my life because I’m experiencing it through the eyes of my other children."
View this post on InstagramLove conquered death 💛
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Motherhood: A Journey of Growth
For Joanna, motherhood is everything. She confessed that she still grapples with mom guilt from time to time. "I’ve been through plenty of stages of guilt. It always creeps in," she admitted. "It paralyzes me. I don’t want to waste a second of emotion on something that doesn’t create any good." Joanna shared how she focuses on finding small ways to connect with her kids, like making them a cup of hot cocoa. "It’s about finding little ways to connect," she said.
The proud mom continued, "You just think kids will fit into your life, and then I had these babies and didn’t realize how they would have every string of my heart. Everything I do, from the moment I get into my car to drive to work, I’m thinking, ‘Did I do everything I could to make those kids know that I love them?’ I’m a segmented person, but there is not a moment when they’re not in my mind. I never thought it would be like that."
Joanna Gaines is undeniably a rockstar mom, and her kids are incredibly fortunate to have her in their lives.
