Family Is the Most Important Thing': Everything Chip & Joanna Gaines Have Said About Parenting

Not only will Chip and Joanna Gaines be producing a number of product lines, publishing another book, and running their Waco, Texas-based empire, the Fixer Upper couple will also be getting ready for a baby on the way.

The pair has always put family first for their four children: sons Drake, 12, and Duke, 9, and daughters Ella, 11, and Emmie Kay, 7. “Family is the most important thing in the world,” Joanna, 39, told PEOPLE in September.

“I feel a little bit like a drill sergeant sometimes. Some elements of my personality, as a parent, I’m not real crazy about,” Chip, 43, told PEOPLE in December 2016 about his parenting style. “I grew up in an environment that was pretty much ‘back by dark’ — [my parents] didn’t generally know what we were doing, and it was all good, clean fun. So I thought, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a wild parent.’ ”

On the other hand, Joanna admitted that she’s “little more laid back than I thought I’d be,” telling PEOPLE: “[There are] certain things that I really care about, but I think the funny part, with Chip, is just the video games, the TV. That’s where he kinda gets a little strict. It’s, ‘You go play outside.’ ”

From dance parties in the middle of the night to bonding over arts and crafts as well as playing dress-up, the parents have been documenting special moments with their kids on social media to their over nine million followers.

“I want my kids to date, I want them to go out,” Chip shared. “I just remember great experiences as a kid, you know? Driving your car for the first time, picking up a young lady on a date for the first time. All those were little milestones to some extent.”

Joanna and Chip have previously expressed that they want their kids to have a life away from the national spotlight their fame has drawn. “They’re so young, and we want to give them the chance to have a normal childhood,” the mother-to-be said.

Source:
people .com