Erin Napier’s Mom Tells Her ‘You Were Always Too Busy’

HGTV

Erin and Ben Napier from HGTV’s hit series Home Town.

Erin Napier of HGTV’s “Home Town” was inundated with support and insight from fans as she responded to an emotional post about her relationship with her father, in which she revealed a childhood regret she hopes will live up to to reverse it. But the most telling comment came from her own mother.

As a mother of two young girls – four-year-old Helen and 13-month-old Mae – despite her busy schedule filming Home Town and its spin-offs, Napier spends as much time with them as she can with her husband, Ben, as well Advertisement for her first children’s book. The couple told the Today Show in December 2021 that both do not work beyond their agreed time slot of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to have enough time with the girls. But becoming a mother has made Napier realize how much more time she still wants to spend with her own parents.

Mom, fans are reacting to Napier’s emotional post about her father

On July 11, Napier a Throwback Instagram photo of her dadwhich her brother sent her and which was recorded 15 years ago.

“He looks like my brother. He looks my age,” she wrote. “I called Daddy on Facetime this morning when the girls woke up and we’re going to see him or he comes by about every other day. I realize (especially after reading This Time Tomorrow by @emmastraub) how important it is to keep learning about our parents, to call them, to invite them to breakfast or dinner.”

And then Napier revealed a regret she has that she hadn’t even realized before becoming a mother. She wrote: “Watching Ben’s face as the girls lean their heads on his shoulder and put their little arms around his neck and regret not cuddling my dad more when I was little. Maybe I’ll try to start now. I guess it’s never too late?”

Fans flooded the heartbreaking Instagram post, encouraging Napier to make the most of the time she has with her dad.

One woman wrote: “It’s never too late until it’s too late – don’t miss your papa time – Luther wrote a song that speaks to so many of us today, ‘Dance With My Father’ – if only I could.” would have more chances…”

Another shared: “Sometimes it’s hard to think about the rest of life in the middle of life. Your daddy knows you love him, but it’s good that you know what so many of us miss before it’s too late.”

But one comment stood out above the rest: a response from Napier’s own mother, a former real estate agent and author Karen Raspberry. She wrote: “When you were little you were always too busy to cuddle. You always had something creative to do.”

Napier didn’t respond to her mom’s comment, but one fan replied, “I think her creativity paid off!”

Napier has expressed her gratitude for her creative childhood

Although she may have been too creative to find time to cuddle, Napier said the freedom to be creative was one of the best things about her childhood. in one July 2021 Interview in the podcast “Biscuits & Jam”.Napier spoke about her mother’s creative influence on her.

“I thought she was a professional artist when I was little because she painted all the time, but she was actually a realtor,” she said. “We’ve always made things, creativity was a big part of growing up in this house.”

Napier has spoken publicly about being bullied as a girl and finding solace in creative pursuits. “I was a bit weird and introverted” she told Southern Living magazine. in April 2020. “Library time was my favorite time. I had a fossil collection. I would assemble natural history dioramas in old shoeboxes. Or I could stay at home and sew a tiger costume – that was really exciting for me.”

And she praised her mother for encouraging her creativity. “My mom was a typical Southern girl — the head cheerleader in high school and college,” Napier said. “But she never tried to push me into that shape. She told me to be exactly who I wanted to be and never do anything just to fit in.”