Over the past nine years as the stars of HGTV’s popular show Home Town, Ben and Erin Napier have become accustomed to doing nearly everything as a team.
However, when they welcomed their daughters—Mae, now 3, and Helen, 6—they didn’t anticipate how their constant togetherness might affect their children in unexpected ways.
“We’ve messed them up,” Erin joked during their appearance on the Dadville podcast on October 29, 2024.
On a more serious note, Erin opened up about the challenges of solo parenting when Ben is away, acknowledging that their daughters start acting out within just an hour or two without him.
Erin Napier Says Her Kids Remain ‘Sweet’ as Long as Their Dad is Around
During their conversation with Dadville hosts Dave Barnes and Jon McLaughlin, Erin shared,
“I feel like my friends are all amazing at solo parenting because their husbands work elsewhere, so they’re used to handling things on their own. But if I have to solo parent for even an hour or two, the girls start to act out and behave differently.”
Ben added,
“It’s just exhausting.” Erin continued, “As long as Daddy is there, they stay balanced and really sweet.”
Ben agreed, saying, “It’s the same for me when she’s not around. They don’t like having just one of us.”
The couple, who own two homes in Laurel, Mississippi, speculated that their daughters’ inflexibility stems from routines that involve the entire family, like dropping Helen off at school together every morning.
These established habits make it challenging for either parent to travel and leave the other to manage the kids overnight.
“It’s an unusual challenge that I don’t think most families face,” Erin admitted. “Most families can manage with just mom or dad for a day or two, but for us—everything just falls apart.”
The Napiers also shared that their daughters are unwilling to do outdoor activities with Erin that they typically enjoy with Ben, resulting in them becoming restless and “roaring through the house,” as Erin described.
“For some reason, they’ll go to the garden with me, go to the pond, or play in the trees, but they won’t do those things with her,”
Ben explained. He speculated that these activities don’t feel familiar when done with Erin, as the girls are so accustomed to doing them with him.
However, if Erin introduces a new activity they haven’t experienced with Ben, the girls are open to it—such as a recent instance when Erin got them to dance in the rain with her.
“That was something they hadn’t done before,” Ben noted, “so it felt exciting, new, and fun, and they loved doing it with Mom. But if Erin suggests, ‘Hey, let’s go water the garden,’ they’ll respond with, ‘No, Daddy’s not here.’”
Laughing, Erin concluded, “I don’t know, we’ve messed them up.”
Erin Napier Has Said Before That Husband Ben is Better at ‘Playing’ With Their Girls
In September 2022, while raising a toddler and a preschooler, the Napiers shared with Us Weekly that they were discovering differences in how they interacted with their daughters.
Erin realized that playing with the girls didn’t come as naturally to her as it did to Ben. “He is incredible at playing,” she said.
“He gets down on the floor, makes up games with their toy horses, and takes them outside to go fishing. I’m more about teaching Helen how to cook, showing them how to paint, or draw.”
“I’m not great at playing,” Erin admitted. “And that makes me feel a bit sad.”
Ben offered some insight, saying,
“Erin is the youngest on both sides of her family, so she didn’t spend much time with younger kids.”
Erin agreed, adding, “I really haven’t spent much time with kids. You, on the other hand, are like an expert at play.”