Joanna Gaines Talks About The Bedtime Ritual Her Son Insists On Going Through Each Night

Having already raised four children out of nappies, Joanna Gaines must’ve thought she knew every bedtime ritual going. But her fifth child with fellow HGTV regular Chip Gaines proved that kids are nothing if not unpredictable. Be prepared for your heart to melt when you find out what the baby of the family, Crew, insists on doing before going to sleep.

Mom of five

Joanna Gaines first became a mom in 2005 with the birth of son Drake. A year later, she and husband Chip welcomed a daughter, Ella Rose. They added to their family unit with Duke in 2008 and it appeared to have been completed two years on with the arrival of Emmie Kay. But nearly a decade later another bundle of joy came into the world.

So foggy

Yes, in 2018 Joanna and Chip became parents for a fifth time with the arrival of son Crew. During a chat with People magazine shortly before the birth, Joanna revealed that she’d be able to approach motherhood differently this time around. She explained, “I feel like those years when the kids were all young, it was so foggy.”

Tag-team wrestling

“At one point I had four kids four and under, and I just remember it was like tag-team wrestling,” Joanna continued. “Chip and I were trying to figure out how to do this with four kids so young. I look at this as another opportunity to really embrace this moment with a newborn.” And this newborn would eventually do something that none of the other Gaineses had done when it came to bedtime.

Fixer Upper

Of course, long before she became a mom of five, Joanna was best-known for her ability to give rundown homes a new lease of life. In 2013 she and husband were handed their own series on the HGTV Network. Fixer Upper, which saw the couple flip houses, subsequently became one of the most popular renovation shows on TV.

Business portfolio

The Gaineses were already experienced home flippers by this point, too, having founded their own company, Magnolia Homes, in the 2000s. Chip and Joanna, who got together after finishing their respective degrees at Baylor University, bought and remodeled their first property following their wedding. Their current portfolio also includes a home accessory store, residential arm, and real estate firm.

Something has to give

You might wonder how on earth the couple managed to fit all that in as well as look after an ever-growing family. Well, Chip and Joanna themselves appeared to realize in the late 2010s that something needed to give. And that happened to be the HGTV show that turned them into international stars.

Precious time

That’s right: after five years on air, Fixer Upper screened its last original episode in 2018. Chip explained to website Business Insider that the series “seduced me into giving it my precious time that I had always promised would be reserved for my true loves: my family, and my business.” This, of course, was the same year that the Gaineses welcomed another tot into the world.

Mother’s guilt

Shortly after leaving the show, Joanna revealed to Southern Living magazine that she’d often had to deal with mother’s guilt. The HGTV star explained to interviewer Jenna Bush Hager, “It always creeps in. It paralyzes me. I don’t want to waste a second of emotion on something that doesn’t create any good.”

Hot cocoa

Joanna went on to add, “I think, ‘What can I do to show my kids that I love them?’ Even if it’s making a cup of hot cocoa, which takes a few minutes. It’s about finding little ways to connect.” Of course, the Fixer Upper star has done far more than simply treat her kids to hot beverages as a sign of her love.

In full bloom

For example, in a Facebook post Joanna told her followers that she’d planted a hummingbird and butterfly-attracting shrub in the family’s garden for her daughters. The HGTV star wrote, “You sow seeds early on and work hard to be intentional, and then over time you move on to new lessons and challenges. Then one day you look up and the seeds you planted in your little children’s hearts are now in full bloom.”

No TV

Joanna appears to be a keen advocate of nature in general. From assisting with chores on the farm to playing a twilight game of baseball, her kids are encouraged to spend as much time outside as possible. And despite the fact that she regularly appears on it, the Fixer Upper star and her clan don’t have a TV.

Go outside

As you’d expect, Joanna restricts her children’s phone time, too. Each family member must leave their mobile at a small station whenever home to avoid being constantly interrupted by notifications. The Magnolia mogul told website Yahoo!, “We want to teach our kids that life happens outside of these devices. It’s just a simple thing to go outside and connect with nature, play with your friends, and get dirty.”

Dancing shoes

The Gaines family mightn’t have a television, but they do enjoy listening to music. In one particular Instagram post Joanna and daughter Emmie Kay can be seen showing off their best dance moves to the soundtrack of hit musical La La Land. Yes, while the HGTV star might be the height of professionalism on screen, she has no qualms about acting silly when at home.

Motherhood

When asked what was the most surprising thing she’d learned since becoming a mother by Southern Living, Joanna replied, “How much they would affect me. You just think kids will fit into your life. And then I had these babies and didn’t realize how they would have every string of my heart.”

Segmented person

Joanna continued, “Everything I do, from the moment I get into my car to drive to work, I’m thinking, ‘Did I do everything I could to make those kids know that I love them?’ I’m a segmented person, but there is not a moment when they’re not in my mind. I never thought it would be like that.”

Sweet stage of life

Yes, it’s fair to say that Joanna enjoys being a mom, despite the fact she’s in a constant state of tiredness. Referring to her experiences of looking after son Crew, she said, “I’m not sleeping. I look older but feel like I’ve been given a gift all over again, and I’m feeling it more than ever before. I can’t imagine it any other way. I just love this sweet stage of life.”

Hoda Kotb

Joanna has no doubt been able to enjoy a little more sleep as her youngest has grown older, particularly thanks to his touching evening ritual. And Crew isn’t the only celebrity offspring to rely on such a thing. In 2022 TODAY host Hoda Kotb told viewers that she uses a bona fide banger to help her kids Hope and Haley get ready for bed.

Lizzo

Hoda explained to co-host Jenna Bush Hager, “We started this tradition of me playing ‘Juice’ by Lizzo on our little speaker and marching around the house after we turn the lights off.” The anchor then revealed that in order to see whether her two daughters really enjoyed the tradition, she devised a little test. Hoda pretended to be preoccupied with other things one night, but they still asked for the song to be played.

Giggling kids

After the girls pleaded to hear Lizzo, Hoda relented. She added, “I quickly ran around (and) turned all the lights off. We do this little train the three of us. As I was doing it, I was so joyful. The kids are giggling. We go into the bathroom and dance with it.”

Pointer Sisters

Co-host Jenna then revealed she had a similar ritual growing up, too. The presenter said, “They’re going to remember that. We would have wet hair right after the shower, we would march around to Pointer Sisters’ ‘Fire.’” Jenna added that it’s important to make such moments a source of fun, no matter how tired or fed up you may be feeling as a parent.

Greenhouse

Thankfully, Joanna’s likely to find Crew’s nighttime habit anything but tedious. The HGTV star’s a lover of all things plants, so she no doubt felt a sense of pride when her youngest son started to develop an interest in greenery, too. In fact, the tot insists on paying a visit to the family greenhouse before every bedtime.

Don’t let the bugs bite

Joanna uploaded a clip of Crew doing just that to Instagram in 2022. The youngster first tells a group of seedlings, “Have a good night’s sleep. Don’t let the bugs bite.” And just when you think things couldn’t get any cuter, he then wanders over to some much bigger greenery to wish them a good evening, too.

My heart just went boom

As you’d expect, the response from Joanna’s followers was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. One commented, “My heart just went boom,” while another replied, “Oh my gosh! The sweetest.” Even fellow HGTV favorite Jenny Marrs got in on the act, with the Fixer to Fabulous star describing the clip as “So sweet.”

Cracking an egg

This isn’t the first time that Crew’s nearly broken the internet with his adorableness, either. In 2021 he made everyone go “aww” by helping his mother to crack an egg for her series Magnolia Table. And just like his brothers and sisters before him, Crew’s also made an appearance in his parents’ most famous show, Fixer Upper.

Passion for plants

Crew no doubt picked up his love of nature from his mom. In 2019 Joanna published a gardening book specifically aimed at getting kids to become greenfingers. And in an interview with the Gardenista website to promote the book, titled We Are The Gardeners, the HGTV star explained that she got her passion for plants from her parents.

Picking weeds

“Growing up, my father had a large garden in our backyard,” Joanna said. “I remember he’d be out there picking weeds at night, and it looked to me like a lot of hard work after he’d already worked all day. But I’ve come to realize that the time he spent in our garden was his way of unwinding at the end of the day. I’ve always joked that I got my love for plants, both indoor and out, from him.”

All hands on deck

Yet Joanna acknowledged that she only really started to recognize the benefits of gardening when she became a parent herself. And she’s been keen to pass on this passion to her kids ever since. At first, though, this was admittedly for practical purposes more than anything else. Joanna admitted, “When they were younger I’d ask for their help simply because I needed all hands on deck.”

Tending and gathering

“Getting a garden started can be a lot of work, and I just couldn’t keep up on my own,” Joanna continued. “I always found that once my kids’ hands hit the soil, they were hooked and loved being there with me. I make it a point to have them help me with every stage — the planting, tending, and gathering — so that they can experience the gratification that comes from hard work and seeing something through.”

Parenting tool

That’s right: Joanna’s also used gardening as a parenting tool, as she explained further to Southern Living. The Magnolia founder said, “Nurturing plants together does something, and it was a simple way to connect with my kids. We have this large garden now, but the size of it is not what’s important.”

Can we have a garden?

“The point is, if you have a little box outside your door that you and your children are tending to, then it does something to your heart as a mom,” Joanna added. “It also does something to your kids’ hearts. Nurturing her plants is teaching Emmie something that I can’t on my own. My hope is that families will read this book together and children will ask, ‘Can we have a garden?’”

All shapes and sizes

That’s obviously not a question that young Crow has to ask. The Gaines family not only have a large garden space, but they also have a greenhouse filled with plants of all shapes and sizes. And it turns out that Crow’s bedtime mutterings to the latter could actually have a positive effect on their well-being.

No yelling

Yes, in an interview with The Guardian newspaper, an expert on biophilia, Dr. Dominique Hes, claimed that talking to greenery can reap rewards. She explained, “Plants probably don’t hear like we do. But some research shows that speaking nicely to plants will support their growth, whereas yelling at them won’t.”

Vibrations and volume

Dr. Hes, who’s also Horticulture Innovation Australia’s Plant Life Balance’s lead researcher, added, “Rather than the meaning of words, however, this may have more to do with vibrations and volume. Plants react favorably to low levels of vibrations, around 115-250hz being ideal.” With Crow’s bedtime talk lying on the quieter end of the spectrum, he could well be helping them to thrive.

Photosynthesis

Dr. Hes concluded, “Smithsonian and Nasa show that mild vibrations increase growth in plants, while harsher, stronger vibrations have a negative effect. The vibrations improve communication and photosynthesis, which improves growth and the ability to fight infection. You could say the plants are happy! If you look at the science, the vibrations, the biophilic connection, and relationship building, then for me it is clear that spending time with plants is worthwhile.”

Red flag

And a representative from subscription service Plant Pet Club believes that talking to plants can also have a positive impact on humans. They told the Real Homes website, “What is undisputed is the benefits of houseplants on our mental and physical wellbeing that we get connecting with plants and nature! So take time and talk to your plants! But remember that if you hear an answer, then that’s a red flag.”

Prince Charles

And young Crew’s in some pretty esteemed company when it comes to his nighttime habit. The future king of England first admitted way back in 1986 that he also talked to plants. And it was something that he reiterated in a piece for the documentary Highgrove: Alan Meets Prince Charles nearly 25 years later.

Every tree has a meaning

Prince Charles told gardener Alan Titchmarsh that the habit helps to keep him “relatively sane” before adding, “I happily talk to the plants and the trees, and listen to them. I think it’s absolutely crucial. Everything I’ve done here, it’s almost like your children. Every tree has a meaning for me.”

Pineapple plant

And it turns out that Crew’s bedtime ritual has also helped attract attention to one particular plant. The pineapple plant’s being cited as the must-have item for gardeners in 2022 by some professionals, including Hicks Nurseries’ Karen Musgrave. She told the Homes & Gardens website that it’s little wonder Crew gravitated toward said item during his goodnight wishes.

Skill, enthusiasm, and attention to detail

Musgrave explained, “The pineapple plant is a fun houseplant the entire family can enjoy growing. People, and especially children, enjoy the process of watching a tropical plant grow indoors.” Another expert, Guy Barter, a chief horticulturist for the RHF, said, “Quite a few home gardeners try to grow a pineapple, and some succeed in producing a fruit, which is quite an achievement.” He added that you can enjoy one just like the Gaineses with some “skill, enthusiasm, and attention to detail.”