Chip & Joanna Gaines May Have Ended 'Fixer Upper' For Their Kids' Safety

Falling in love, or in like, with someone on television is totally normal. Let's not pretend like you didn't have a crush on at least someone from Gossip Girl or Dawson's Creek. But, with the rise in popularity of reality television in all of its forms, becoming attached to the people on your screen has taken on a whole new meaning. And while the majority of fans would never want to present any harm to their favorite TV personalities, the sad fact of the matter is that you can never really know. Which explains why Chip and Joanna Gaines may have ended Fixer Upper for their kids' safety. Because with all that stardom, plenty of fandom comes with it — including those who could cross a line.

While the couple announced that they were ending their highly popular HGTV show after its fifth season, only vague answers were given as to why. But now, a source has revealed to Us Weekly, that one of the big reasons behind the family's decision had a lot more to do with their kids than anything else.

"People drive by and like to take pictures in front of their house," the source revealed. And it's understandable that the couple would want to put a stop to all that extra attention, considering their four kids are all pretty young.

With Drake, 12, Ella, 10, Duke, 9, and Emmie, 7 all at pretty impressionable ages, it makes total sense that Chip and Joanna would feel the need to protect their young ones. "I think they just want to take a step back from it," the source continued, according to Us Weekly. And honestly, good for them.

Sure, Chip and Joanna certainly must recognize that their fans are largely to thank for their many successes. But, that doesn't mean that they owe them anything more than what they're comfortable with, especially if they're concerned about their children.

Being in the public eye can't be easy — and as many A-listers know to be true — having kids in the spotlight definitely presents many unique challenges. In fact, some celebrity parents have even taken measures to ensure that their children are completely out of the public realm, until they're old enough to make the decision themselves. Kristen Bell and her husband Dax Shepard have even pioneered the "No Kids" movement, refusing to let the public see their kids.

And it seems that the Gaines might also appreciate some privacy for their kiddos. Of course, it's one thing for Chip or Joanna to upload their own photos of their family to their social media channels, but it is quite another to have complete strangers snapping pictures of your children near your own home.

Let's say this "source" is wrong about Chip and Joanna's privacy concerns and this isn't why reason they've pulled the plug on the hit show, their decision to end the show is still understandable. Perhaps they simply wanted to take a break, just because. In fact, Chip's own mother, Gayle Gaines shared with Closer Weekly that she definitely thought her son and his wife "earned some time to rest" following the pair's announcement that they were ending their show.

Of course, fans are continuing to mourn the loss of the favorite home repair show. But most people can understand that working on their family and protecting their children will always come first.

In a blog post detailing the ending of their show, Chip and Joanna wrote that their plan will be to "take this time to shore up and strengthen the spots that are weak, rest the places that are tired and give lots of love and attention to both our family and our businesses." And truly it seems that the couple has been extremely busy. On top of Fixer Upper and their four kids, they are also running a market, a quarterly journal, and have a home decor line coming to Target.

Chip and Joanna really just want what's best for their kids, and that's pretty respectable.

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