John Shearer/Getty Images for CMA Ben and Erin Napier backstage at the 56th Annual CMA Awards
Parenting two young girls isn’t always easy, but HGTV‘s Ben and Erin Napier are trying to savor every sweet moment of their daughters’ childhoods that they can. At the end of each long day, Erin says their nightly bathtime routine is so heartwarming, it’s hard for her not to “cry like a crazy woman” while watching her girls. Here’s a peek into their nightly routine and why she gets so emotional…
Erin Napier Says Daughter Helen Takes Care of Mae During Bathtime
The Napiers, who star in HGTV’s hit show, “Home Town,” recently bought and renovated a country home located on the outskirts of Laurel, Mississippi, so their daughters — four-year-old Helen and 17-month-old Mae — can grow up with plenty of room to roam outdoors and play in the dirt, according to Erin. But they didn’t expect getting so dirty would lead to one of the sweetest parts of their evenings together: bathtime.
In a video interview released as part of the Napiers’ cover story in People magazine, which hit newsstands on November 18, 2022, the couple shared that Helen considers it her responsibility to help her little sister bathe each night.
“She’s actually become the one that bathes Mae at night,” Erin explained to People. “Helen helps her get out of her clothes.”
Ben then interjected, “So we finish supper, start cleaning up the table. Helen goes to the bathroom and starts the bath. She comes and gets Mae, gets her undressed, helps her into the tub, and climbs in with her.”
“And then I supervise,” Erin continued, “but Helen has to do the actual shampooing and bathing of Mae, and Mae just loves it. She feels like she’s in the beauty shop, I guess. But it’s really sweet. Really, really sweet.”
So sweet, in fact, that it often brings tears to Erin’s eyes.
“I watch them and just try not to cry like a crazy woman,” she said. “Because Helen doesn’t understand what’s so sweet and special about this. But to us, we know this is special and it’s fleeting, too. They’re only going to be little for such a short time, and they won’t bathe together forever.”
“I feel like we are in the middle of, like, living the best years of our life,” Erin continued, “and I’m very aware of it and I want to keep it, somehow.”
Erin Napier Says She Tries ‘Not to Cry Like a Crazy Woman’ With Her Growing Girls
In their People interview, Erin said Ben is also becoming a “weepy girl dad” and he agreed.
“I’ve never been worried about birthdays,” he said. “My 30th birthday came and went, and 40 is coming. The thing that upsets me is that I spent 35 years without Helen or Mae. They are growing so fast.”
Erin then thought of another instance that choked her up.
“Helen said thank you for ‘getting me a sister’ the other night and that makes me want to cry,” Erin said, and Ben softly replied, “Yeah.”
But amidst all the sweetness, the couple insists they also deal with the typical struggles of young parents, like sibling rivalry.
When Erin said the girls are “finally playing together,” Ben quipped, “but they’re also finally jealous.”
“If one of them gets in Mama’s lap,” he explained, “then the other one is close behind, and there’s a fight fixin’ to happen.”
Erin added, “And if I try to put them both in my lap, they just pull each other’s hair. So it’s a struggle right now, honestly.”
New episodes of “Home Town,” including a look at their renovated country home, return to HGTV on December 4. The Napiers will also host a holiday special from Laurel on November 27.