Erin Napier Learned Stalker Wanted to 'Protect' Her Kid, She Lied to Her about Officer Sleeping in Nearby Car

Erin and Ben Napier are famous for putting smiles on fans' faces as they restore homes in Mississippi's native town. However, they have been vulnerable to attacks with such celebrity status and have gone to great lengths to protect their small family.

Ben, an entrepreneur and owner of "Scotsman Co.," became a household name alongside his wife, Erin, an artist-turned-designer, in 2017 when the couple debuted their first show, "HomeTown," on the HGTV network.

Despite being new to the spotlight, and everything that comes with it, including navigating their everyday lives in the community, where Ben works as a preacher, these two are more than ready to give their all in parenting their young ones.

They became parents in 2018, and even though it was their first time, the couple had already mapped out a plan on how to nurture their offspring.

Two years ago, when their firstborn, Helen, was younger, they exhibited confidence in parenthood. They further revealed in an interview that their priorities are parenting and happy marriage.

According to the HGTV couple, no pressure from work can make them consider being absentee parents in their child's life. They admitted to passing up a lot of opportunities because of such beliefs. In her words:

"We say no to a lot of opportunities. No matter how great an opportunity or amount of money, nothing is worth missing out on memories together with Helen."

To achieve this, the couple, who now have another daughter, baby Mae, to care for alongside their eldest child, established a rule to act as checks for their parenting.

According to this rule, if they have a work trip that would take two nights or less, they would be available. However, if it lingers for three nights or more, they get a nanny and their child on board the trip, and the bills will be paid by their clients.

Somehow, with their routines, they have not plummeted from their ladder of success. Instead, their fame has grown, with the couple recording eye-catching achievements in their TV series and businesses.

Speaking in a 2020 interview, Erin confessed the entire experience has been overwhelming and that they are filled with nothing but gratitude. According to her:

"We still have those moments, like this is all surreal. But the great thing is, we never planned any of it. Not one thing. So I'd just like to keep doing it that way. We just feel so lucky that this is all happening to us."

ERIN NAPIER DECIDES TO KEEP HER DAUGHTER'S FACE A MYSTERY

When Helen was younger, the couple had no problem sharing a snap of their little princess, but Erin became conscious of shielding her child from the public as she grew.

The only way the mother-of-two shares photos of Helen is by taking an image of the toddler faced backward. Following this development, many internet trolls criticized the TV personality.

While Erin makes an effort to keep her child away from the online brouhaha, the mother bear would never allow a troll to tear her baby apart without dealing with the person via a comment section.

A few months ago, after serving naysayers a dose of their own medicine, the TV personality created a post to address her "personal choice" of not revealing Helen's face, even though it is not what applies to everyone.

She explained that her daughter's "likeness" would be protected in the Instagram post. But, again, the HGTV star spelled out her fears, which included having her child's face used as an advertisement by a clothing brand overseas or having her face picked apart.

She also complained that strangers aim to hug their daughter when they see her. All of these are part of why they chose to allow Helen to have a life far away from social media. In concluding the write-up, she added:

"We love and appreciate everyone who supports the show, but Helen doesn't owe anyone anything."

A STRANGE SITUATION THAT AWAKENED THE OVER-PROTECTIVENESS IN THE NAPIERS

Combating the critics on social media, among other reasons listed above, is not the only thing Erin has faced as a famous mom. However, a horrifying situation made the Napiers reinforce their protection for their daughter.

In a last week's post, the designer shared a photo of some toys and added an intriguing caption about an alarming situation when she was nine and a half months pregnant.

Erin mentioned that they were filming an episode for "HomeTown" when Ben received messages from their town folks about a man from CA, dressed as a Star Wars trooper, with an ankle monitor laced onto his leg.

The CA man commented about the town's residents but focused on the Napiers, telling the other residents that he was Godsent and was ordained to protect the women of Laurel, especially Helen.

He did not stop at making the scary comments but went as far as buying a house close to the couple.

In his crib, they found nothing but a suitcase and the toys in the photo (a baseball, barbie dolls, a mini Clifford the Big Red Dog, a stuffed animal, and a playset), all set aside for when Helen "comes to visit."

Last year, she had told People that it was scary and that everyone tried to keep the news away from her because of her pregnancy. Eventually, when she found out, they enlisted a twenty-four-hour-long security service.

Apart from protecting their child from the stalker, they also lied to Helen about the situation when she asked who the security officer in the car was. In her words:

"We all had 24 hour security officers at home, while we slept , while we worked. Helen asked who they were and why they were here and we never told her the truth."

Erin remains grateful to her neighbors, whose collective effort made it possible for the man to be sent back to CA. Amid the support, it was a strange time for the couple who had to go to court, as they planned on welcoming their second daughter, Mae.

However, in her post, the mother-of-two maintained that she was no longer scared but warned parents to protect their kids from the "online world" as much as possible.

ERIN AND BEN NAPIER ON THEIR VALUES AS PARENTS

It is not news that the HGTV duo wants their children's images and lives away from social media, and they are determined to do so.

Erin and Ben mentioned that they want their babies to have an everyday life despite growing up with famous parents.

In 2020, before the birth of their youngest daughter, the couple explained that Helen is being protected from screens "until it's impossible." They added that she would have a childhood as happy as theirs. According to Erin:

"She plays outside a lot. That's the goal. That's how we grew up and we both had a magical childhood."

While they have put things in place following their pledge to be excellent parents and be more concerned about their homefront than careers, Erin admitted that their offspring would grow to know the natural world and have genuine relationships.

So far, the family of four is doing great, especially as a team. The couple is delivering according to their terms in both parenting, and they have the best romance any famous couple could desire— one that seeks partnership in everything.