What To Know
- Erin and Ben Napier opened up about homeschooling their two young daughters, Helen and Mae.
- The couple talked about prioritizing a low-tech, family-focused lifestyle.
- The Home Town stars have previously opened up about their parenting choices, including why they host family-only birthday events.
For Erin and Ben Napier, 2025 was all about achieving some of their biggest goals.
One of those goals was to begin homeschooling their two daughters, Helen, 7, and Mae, 4. “We started homeschooling,” Ben shared in an interview with People published on Thursday, December 11. “The kids. And we’re doing it. [Every time] when we say it, people are like, ‘Oh, did you hire a tutor?’ And we’re like, ‘No, we’re the tutors.’”
For Erin, homeschooling their kids was a “non-negotiable” on their to-do list. “They’ve never had devices, they’ve never held phones or tablets or iPads,” she explained. “We’re trying to live like it’s our childhood again.”
Despite the lack of tech, Erin said that she and Ben do allow their kids to watch TV with them as a “family,” adding, “We have a movie night like every night, and it’s not like we don’t have TV time. We’re watching like Berenstain Bears, we watched Prancer this week. So living slower.”
The Home Town stars tied the knot in 2008 and became parents with the birth of Helen in 2018. Their family continued to grow with the birth of Mae in 2021. Though the couple primarily keeps their kids out of the spotlight, they occasionally give fans glimpses into their private lives via social media.
Last month, Erin shared a sweet video of Helen and Mae decorating their home’s Christmas tree. “I want to hold on to this forever,” Erin captioned the November 28 Instagram post.
The couple recently featured their kids in a holiday ad for Bob’s Red Mill. “This Christmas I’m making brownies with my three blondies,” Ben captioned the promo, which featured the family of four baking together, via Instagram on December 4. “Best part is it’s so easy, we have more time to spend decorating together.”
Erin and Ben have previously opened up about their parenting choices, including their surprising rules when it comes to their kids’ birthday festivities. The duo revealed they are “anti-giant birthdays” in a September interview with Today.com, as their daughters’ school requires all kids to receive invites to their classmates’ birthday parties.
“Our rule is, until they’re old enough to plan it themselves, it’s supper at grandparents,” Ben stated, to which Erin added, “If your 4-year-old’s birthday party looks like a wedding, what do they have to look forward to? Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I think there’s a lot of moms out there who feel the same way I do.”
Choosing to make birthdays family-only affairs is something the couple decided on before they even became parents. “It’s stressful and loud,” Ben quipped. “I was like, ‘We’re not doing this.”
Instead, they celebrate birthdays with delicious homemade cakes, served on a cake stand crafted by Ben using leftover wood from Helen’s baby crib.
“Ben’s mom always made homemade birthday cakes,” Erin told the outlet, noting that she elevates box cake mix by adding vanilla, buttermilk, and more ingredients.
Home Town, Season 10 Premiere, Sunday, January 4, 8/7c, HGTV
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
