Rules Chip And Joanna Gaines' Kids Have To Follow

Chip and Joanna Gaines — the couple at the heart of the beloved home reno show "Fixer Upper" — might be TV stars, but they're parents above all else. "We've always been on the same page when it comes to the things that matter most: our family and our values and how we want to raise our children," Joanna told Success Magazine in 2017. In the same interview, Chip shared a similar sentiment: "As much as we love the honor that we have felt with ["Fixer Upper"] basically introducing us to the country, if not the world, we want to make sure that we're here for our family during really crucial, pivotal points in its journey."

Even though Chip and Joanna have a busy work schedule, they've prioritized family. Especially since leaving "Fixer Upper" behind, they've had an active hand in shaping their kids' day-to-day lives — including coming up with rules for them to follow. Kids Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie, and Crew — who range between 5 and 19 years old as of 2024 — have to abide by some pretty strict regulations regarding technology and some more unorthodox policies.

Could you live the way the Gaines kids do? Read on to find out.

We've all heard wry comments about "iPad babies" — tiny tots constantly tapping away at tablets, perhaps playing mind-numbing app games or streaming "Cocomelon" on YouTube. Chip and Joanna Gaines are determined to make sure that their kids don't go down that road. Chatting with Jenna Bush Hager — another famous parent — for an interview in Southern Living, the Gaineses elaborated on their guidelines for iPad time. Their kids share a single iPad, which they can only use under certain circumstances.

"Our rule for the iPad is that the kids can use it a certain amount of time every other day. It's contingent on them doing their chores and homework," Joanna told Bush Hager (via Yahoo). "I try hard to make it not the thing they look forward to every day. I don't want them focusing on that."

Chip noted that he often encourages his kids to use the iPad in innovative ways. "It's funny when I say, 'No iPad games,' and then see the things they create and invent on their own," he said. "I'm like: 'That! That's the stuff right there, kids.'" Who's to say — maybe some of the Gaines children will grow up to be just as crafty as their parents.

Chip and Joanna Gaines joined Jenna Bush Hager to discuss parenting again on a 2024 episode of "TODAY with Hoda & Jenna." Bush Hager was eager to talk about raising kids in the Internet age. "We're careful when it comes to cellphones and social media with our kids. What is y'all's stance?" she asked the HGTV couple. 

Joanna revealed that the Gaines children aren't allowed to use social media until adulthood. "Our house rule is you get social media the summer before you go to college ... So, 18," she said. "But it's a challenge!" Chip chimed in. "I mean, you can tell these kids want it before that ... They want it at 12, 13, 14."

Joanna shared that whenever her kids see their friends using social media and get jealous, she and Chip remind them that they have plenty of privileges that other children don't get to enjoy. "We can say, 'You have these other things that are really great. Our life is a little different, and we care about this specific thing.'" We have to imagine that being the offspring of two TV stars does come with some sweet perks, social media restrictions notwithstanding. 

When it comes to cell phone usage in the house, Chip and Joanna Gaines follow guidelines to ensure their family is getting plenty of face-to-face interaction. Most importantly, they ensure that breakfast, lunch, and dinner are free of the devices. "At our house, we keep phones away from the table at mealtimes so we can focus on each other and the conversation around the table," Joanna Gaines wrote in a 2018 post on her Magnolia blog (via PopSugar).

On a 2021 episode of "TODAY," Joanna explained that she really cracked down on cell phone time during the pandemic. While quarantining with her family, she noticed that her kids were glued to their phones even when partaking in other activities — so she decided to make a change. "It just became a house rule, when you're at home, that all the phones go in one spot, 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 body," she elaborated. Not only does this rule protect her kids' developing brains from too much Internet exposure, but it also helps ensure that she and Chip are making quality memories with their children instead of letting themselves get distracted by work obligations.

Even though their parents are television personalities, the Gaines kids can't watch TV at home. They couldn't break the rule even if they tried — that's because there's literally no TV at the Gaines house. Appearing on Oprah's "Super Soul," the couple shared that early in their relationship, a marriage counselor challenged them to go without a TV for six months (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet). They decided to keep up the challenge for a year and then two years. After that, they realized they didn't want a TV in the home after all. Given how they feel about iPads, cell phones, and social media, it makes sense that they would also want to limit TV access for their children.

One can't help but wonder — do the Gaineses watch their own TV show? According to the same "Super Soul" interview, they do — they just hop over to a friend's house for premiere nights.

Considering all the money they make — they're among the richest HGTV stars, with a combined net worth of $50 million — Chip and Joanna Gaines could afford to have housekeepers attend to their every need. Yet the two have remained down to earth by helping with household duties themselves. Per an interview with Parade, Joanna grounds herself by doing the dishes and laundry; Chip takes care of the family's farm animals. Social media shows that their kids are expected to lend a hand with chores as well.

In a 2014 Facebook post, Joanna showed off the cute chore chart she made for her children with chalkboards and twine. Each child has his or her own list of tasks to complete, although there's a good deal of overlap. The Gaines kids are asked to pick veggies, clean their rooms and closets, and spend some time reading each day.

Chip and Joanna Gaines have quite a special home. Not only do they live in a refurbished farmhouse originally built in 1895 — they own 40 acres of land and a whopping 60 farm animals. Given their untraditional lifestyle, it makes sense that they might have to enforce some untraditional house rules. Most notably, while the Gaines kids might be able to roam the grounds as they please, they're not allowed to bring the other "kids" on the premises — i.e., the baby goats the Gaineses keep as pets — indoors.

In a 2016 interview with "At Home with TODAY," Joanna was asked, "Got any house rules that you think could help others?" Her response was rather surprising: "'No goats in the house' is the only one that comes to mind immediately. You'd be surprised how tough this one is to keep!"

Although this rule might prove difficult for Chip and Joanna's kids, we're guessing it'll be pretty easy for most readers to follow.