5 Times HGTV's Ben Napier Was The Perfect Girl Dad
Other than being one of the most sought-after couples when it comes to home renovations, HGTV's Ben and Erin Napier are proud parents to two girls, Helen and Mae. The spouses, who found fame with HGTV's "Home Town" and "Home Town Takeover," often share glimpses into their family life on social media but opted to avoid raising their daughters with technology.
When speaking to Us Weekly, Erin explained that Helen and Mae spend most of their time playing outdoors on the family's spacious Mississippi property and that they get little to no screen time. "They play, they dig, [and] they climb trees," the mom of two told the outlet. In a conversation with People, Ben echoed the sentiment, sharing, "We [wanted] our kids to grow up in a place that feels magical."
In addition to spending their childhood in the most magical way possible, Helen and Mae also spend a lot of time with their dad. Erin captures and shares many of their sweet father-daughter moments, inadvertently highlighting just how devoted Ben is to their two daughters. Whether he's using his woodworking skills to fix their toys for them or enthusiastically participating in their interests, Ben seamlessly embodies the role of the perfect girl dad. Here are five times their bond has touched our hearts in the sweetest ways.
The girls can visit Ben at work
Ben and Erin Napier have previously opened up about navigating their hit HGTV show, "Home Town," which premiered in 2016, and their family life. As they both work on the series and are actively involved in the renovation projects, they wanted to find a way to still be hands-on parents while balancing their work obligations.
In an interview with Today, Erin shared, "It's a very strange career we found ourselves in, and we want the girls to be a part of our life in every way." She noted that they usually come back home for lunch every day and that they try connecting with the girls throughout the day.
In July 2020, the proud mom shared a sweet snap on her Instagram page, proving she and Ben truly go above and beyond to include their kids in their everyday lives as much as possible. In the image, Ben is standing amidst renovation work, surrounded by filming equipment, with his daughter Helen peeking her head into his work apron. "You never know who's just out of frame," Erin jokingly captioned the photo, suggesting that the girls' work visits are not uncommon and proving, once again, just how perfect Ben is as a girl dad.
He uses his building skills to assemble doll houses
Having an HGTV star as your father undoubtedly comes with the perk of having access to impressive building skills. A handyman that's readily available at home must be a blast for Helen and Mae, but Ben Napier also appears to relish the opportunity to show off his construction abilities.
Erin Napier took to Instagram to offer a peek into her family's weekend activities, sharing a photo of Ben assembling a dollhouse with their daughter Helen by his side. "Saturday builds with @scotsman.co are significantly less intense," Erin captioned the sweet snap posted in April 2022. Ben chimed in the comment section, writing, "Less intense, but infinitely more important." Erin's followers echoed the sentiment, with one user commenting, "Ben has his priorities straight," and another penning, "You two are wise. No matter your success or fame, you understand the most important work you do is within the walls of your own home."
In the photo, Ben can be seen delicately handling what appears to be a miniature piece of furniture for the dollhouse, while Helen seems to be contemplating interior decoration. With Ben's evident focus, it's fair to assume that Helen and Mae's dollhouses are among the sturdiest ones out there.
The HGTV star fixes all types of miscellaneous items as needed
Another way Ben Napier uses his handyman skills at home is to fix anything and everything for his two daughters, Helen and Mae. According to Erin Napier, who shared her husband's devotion to their two girls on her Instagram account in honor of Father's Day 2023, Ben can bring back to life any miscellaneous item that needs a little TLC.
In the heartfelt post, Erin shared a series of photos, with the first one capturing Ben completely in the zone as he fixed a broken necklace while sporting a colorful beaded bracelet. In the second and last photos, the HGTV star can be seen hanging out with his two daughters, and in the third snap, he's holding a bouquet of flowers, likely intended for one or all three of the special ladies in his household.
Erin praised Ben for not only being a skilled fixer but also for being an exemplary father who teaches their daughters invaluable lessons about love and respect. "Here's what the truly great dads do: they fix things, broken necklaces, broken Barbies, broken hearts," she penned in the caption, adding, "They teach their daughters what to expect from the men they'll someday love and what's unacceptable, too." Erin concluded her heartwarming tribute by writing, "[Dads] carry the heavy things so we don't have to. God gave us the finest daddy he could come up with."
The proud dad includes his daughters in his hobbies
Ben Napier keeps proving that he's the perfect girl dad by actively nurturing his daughters' interests — from pretend playing to sharing moments watching their favorite cartoons, Ben's devotion to his two girls is unmatched. However, Helen and Mae also love sharing their dad's interests with him.
In a 2022 interview with Today, Erin shared that Ben enjoyed tending to the family garden and that Helen liked helping him. At the time, Mae was still a baby, but as she grew older, her interest in the activity also blossomed, and now the two sisters seem to be gardening aficionados.
In November 2023, Erin shared a series of photos on Instagram featuring precious moments of the girls gardening alongside Ben. In one of the photos, Mae, wearing a light blue dress, proudly holds a freshly harvested carrot, while Helen, clad in a bunny-themed jacket, can be seen eagerly participating in harvesting the vegetables with her bare hands, as seen in another one of the images. Particularly sweet is the childlike handwriting on the sign in the first photo, which reads "Carrots" and was likely made by Helen or Mae — a touching detail illustrating another heartwarming way Ben involved his daughters in his hobby.
He plays beauty shop with his girls
If there's one thing every girl dad can relate to, it's the experience of playing beauty shop, and not even HGTV's Ben Napier can escape that one (and he likely wouldn't want to). Once the brushes and the mini makeup palettes come out, a dad should know he's about to get the makeover of his life (that is, until the next one).
In January 2024, Erin Napier took to her Instagram page to share the sweetest snaps of Ben sitting pretty during a beauty session headlined by their eldest daughter, Helen. In the first photo, Helen can be seen fixing Ben's Barbie pink headband topped with a bow, and in the next one, she's making sure he likes the look by holding up a mirror for him to check her work out. Mae, the Napiers' younger daughter, joined in on the fun in the second photo but appeared to be more interested in her dad himself than the beauty routine as she cuddled up in his lap. Erin captioned the images with "beauty shop!"
Ben not only embraced his beauty shop appointment but also seemed genuinely pleased with the results. We hope he'll be dropping a step-by-step tutorial sometime soon.