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When he\u2019s not letting cameras into his home to film reality show Stacey & Joe (recently renewed for a second series<\/a>), he\u2019s filming cooking videos<\/a> and juggling childcare alongside his wife, TV star and NTA-winner Stacey Solomon<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The pair have six children, as well as two dogs and four ducks, so it\u2019s fair to say there\u2019s a lot going on at their home, Pickle Cottage, in Essex. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Joe, a former Eastenders star turned I\u2019m A Celeb and Dancing On Ice winner, sat down with HuffPost UK to talk all things parenting \u2013 and with the children back for the final school term before the summer holidays, the family are now looking ahead to the six-week break and how they\u2019ll be juggling childcare. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe work really hard throughout the year and then the summer holidays are really important for me, Stace and the kids,\u201d said Joe. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n This year they\u2019re planning to go away for two or three weeks to \u201cTurkey or somewhere like that\u201d so they can have a \u201csolid chunk of time together\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The couple share three children together: Belle, who is two; Rose, three; and Rex, five. Stacey also has two children from previous relationships: Leighton, 12, and Zachary, 17, while Joe has a 17-year-old son, Harry, from a past relationship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for us to spend quality time together,\u201d said the TV personality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When they\u2019re not travelling, they\u2019re spending time at home and getting the kids out in the garden as much as possible. \u201cWe\u2019ve got lots of animals so there are chickens to look after, ducks to look after, the dogs to look after. We\u2019re always out and about,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cStacey\u2019s got this amazing veg patch that, constantly, one of the kids is out helping to water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Joe added that when he and Stacey are out doing jobs, the children \u201clove helping\u201d. But that\u2019s not to say it\u2019s all work and no play. He\u2019s a big believer in having fun and making mischief as a parent. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cMe and Stacey, as parents, we\u2019re constantly trying to teach our kids things and push them in the right direction,\u201d he said. But he caveated that it\u2019s also \u201creally good to let your hair down sometimes \u2013 have a wrestle, get the Jammie Dodgers out [the actor is currently working with the biscuit brand and Nerf], let them play with the water outside.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As any parent can attest, kids love<\/em> water \u2013 and Joe and Stacey\u2019s brood are no exception. There\u2019s a common bit of parenting advice about \u201cputting them in water or taking them outside\u201d<\/a> to keep kids happy \u2013 and the actor jokes whether they\u2019re having Super Soaker battles or setting the hosepipe on each other, \u201cthere\u2019s always some sort of tap running in our house in the summer\u201d. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe grass looks amazing, though,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Obviously, British weather can be glorious \u2013 but it can also be downright miserable (and it always seems to be the case when the kids are off school). So, how does the TV personality feel about screens, particularly offering his children phones, to keep them entertained? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The topic has been a hot one of late, especially since the success of Netflix\u2019s Adolescence<\/a> and the growing Smartphone Free Childhood movement<\/a> \u2013 and Joe admitted it\u2019s something he and Stacey struggle with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cSo primarily, we don\u2019t let any of our kids have a phone until they go to secondary school because they don\u2019t need to have that technology until then,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOur battle at the minute is, the older ones have got the phones because they\u2019re teenagers, and then the younger ones want to play with the phones \u2013 especially Rex.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The couple have found a compromise, so they call the phone \u201ca privilege\u201d. If Rex behaves at school all week and does his chores at home, he can have an hour on the phone at the weekend playing games. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cBut even that, me and Stacey begrudgingly let him have that,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult, it\u2019s a constant battle … And even then, when he\u2019s playing the games, we\u2019re constantly watching what he\u2019s doing, what games he\u2019s playing. It\u2019s something that concerns us, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The actor gave an example of a school he heard about where all the parents agreed that none of the kids in class were going to have a phone, so no one felt left out. \u201cThey put a blanket ban on it … I thought that was quite a good idea,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe only way you are going to do it [keep them off phones] is to divide and conquer,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAs parents, if you work together, there are ways to make it easier \u2013 but sometimes, when you\u2019re trying to teach your kids one thing and they go round to someone\u2019s house and then that kid\u2019s on the phone or on the computer the whole time, it sort of breaks down what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI feel like sometimes, as parents, the more we work together, the safer kids are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The couple also have rules around phone use at home \u2013 for instance, the internet goes off at 10pm, so \u201cthe kids don\u2019t have access to internet late into the night\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe older ones, they\u2019re 17 and 13, so a lot of their communication with their friends is through their phones and stuff. They\u2019ve got their privacy, but again, we\u2019re always vigilant, we\u2019re always listening to conversations and making sure everything\u2019s OK. But I think when they get into their teenage years, it\u2019s quite important for them to have access to a phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While a lot has been said about the negative effects of phone use<\/a> over the years, one recent study of 11-13 year olds<\/a> found kids with smartphones reported better mental health than those without \u2013 including higher self-esteem and being less likely to feel depressed. They were also more likely to spend time with friends in person.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI feel like sometimes, as parents, the more we work together, the safer kids are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n The actor added: \u201cIt\u2019s finding that balance, isn\u2019t it? And you know what, there\u2019s no right or wrong way of doing it either. I think sometimes parents feel quite judged by their decisions and I think: different horses for different courses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no real right or wrong way to be a parent. We\u2019re all muddling through it, we\u2019re all making mistakes. But ultimately if you love your kids and you\u2019ve got their best interests at heart, that\u2019s all you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n While he\u2019s clearly a hands-on parent, there are moments when he lets the kids figure things out for themselves, too \u2013 this includes finding solutions to their squabbles. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIn our house, there are disagreements with the kids all the time,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI\u2019Il always just say to the kids: \u2018Look, I\u2019m not a referee\u2019 … and I let them deal with the little issues themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cOnce there\u2019s tears and crying and shouting, that\u2019s when I step in and find out what\u2019s going on. But usually I let them deal with it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Do they manage to sort it out then? \u201cYeah, sometimes they do. Sometimes they don\u2019t,\u201d he continued. \u201cI like them to try to resolve the issues among themselves. If it\u2019s nothing big, like it\u2019s a sharing issue or someone\u2019s got something someone else wants, they can work it out themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As our chat comes to a close, there\u2019s just enough time to discuss those two or three hours between the kids leaving school or childcare, and bedtime, when all hell tends to break loose in households up and down the UK. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s nice to know that even the rich and famous aren\u2019t immune to the chaos of the 3-6pm rush. On the days when Stacey is working and he\u2019s picking the kids up from school, Joe will rustle up a big dinner \u2013 like jacket potatoes or spaghetti bolognese \u2013 and then it\u2019s a matter of keeping the little ones awake until bedtime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen we pick them up from school at 3.30pm, especially the younger ones, they\u2019re usually ready for a little nap. So if you can just keep them awake from about 3.30pm until about 5.30pm, get their dinner in them, and then once they\u2019re really dipping I\u2019ll chuck them in the bath and that gives you another 45 minutes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe longer you keep them awake, the better. So hopefully, usually, by about 7pm, they\u2019re having their last little fill and they\u2019re ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bedtime \u2013 and exactly how long it takes \u2013 can \u201cvary\u201d, he added. \u201cSometimes you can have a good day and the kids go straight down and some days you\u2019ll have one that will fight you and wake up the rest of them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He quipped: \u201cThat\u2019s why I do like the winter, because you can convince the kids that it\u2019s a lot later than it is because of the [darker] nights. Trying to get the kids [to sleep] when the sun\u2019s still up is a nightmare.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n And once everyone is bed, what then? \u201cIt\u2019s just getting a bit of time to yourself, maybe watch something with Stacey on telly,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been watching that Mobland at the minute which is quite good.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n But as anyone run ragged by kids will know, it\u2019s a challenge keeping those eyelids open past 8pm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe\u2019re both pretty knackered by the end of the day. Stacey\u2019s quite an early bird \u2013 she\u2019ll go to bed about 9.30pm, so then I\u2019ll have an hour to myself and then I\u2019ll usually hit the hay as well,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a busy house. It starts at like 5am, so everyone needs their sleep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Joe Swash has teamed up with beloved British biscuit Jammie Dodgers to unleash the ultimate summer mischief-maker \u2013 a limited-edition Super Soaker crafted in collaboration with Nerf. Designed to inspire families to head outside and soak up the sun, you can enter to win here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nStacey and Joe vs Screens<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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