Parenting Advice from Chip and Joanna Gaines

Since their reality television series Fixer Upper debuted on HGTV in 2013, Chip and Joanna Gaines have gained thousands of fans across the country over the course of five seasons for their design skills and emphasis on family. In fact, the home-flipping couple is so popular that Magnolia Market at the Silos, their home goods store in Waco, Texas, has cracked the top 15 list of U.S. travel destinations. With the Gaines expanding their crew to five children this year, The Cheat Sheet compiled the best parenting advice from Chip and Joanna Gaines.

1. Create healthy boundaries. Chip and Joanna describe themselves as stricter-than-average parents, noting that there’s a significant different between being strict and mean.

2. Turn off the screens. The TV stars don’t own a TV.

3. Emphasize contentment. Despite their wealth, the kids aren’t showered with toys and games. After all, a 2010 study concluded that while the average 10-year-old child owned 238 toys, only 12 were played with consistently.

4. Play. If you’ve ever watched Fixer Upper, you know that the Gaines find plenty of time for fun and laughter between and during projects.

5. Bend the rules if appropriate. Know when to rules like bedtime can be altered in favor of memories that can last a lifetime.

6. Work hard. The oldest children (currently 13, 11, 10, and 8) earn their stay with daily chores on the farm.

7. Love. Raising children might be the hardest thing you do in your life, but they should be viewed as a blessing from God, and they need to know that Mom and Dad love them for who they are.