Joanna Gaines raises serious concerns with photo of son

Joanna Gaines is a hands-on mom who is regularly praised for her parenting skills, but over the weekend, the Magnolia Network star received some concerned comments from fans.

The mom-of-five took to Instagram with a snapshot of herself cooking up a storm from inside the family home she shares with her husband Chip and their kids. 

In the image, she had her back to the camera as she stirred the pots on the stove. 

Alongside her was her youngest son, Crew, who often helps his mom with her creations. 

However, he wasn’t watching over Joanna from the ground but instead chose to stand on the countertop and peer down at what she was making from above. 

The little boy had his hands folded behind his back and appeared engrossed as Joanna cooked seafood in a big, pot of water. 

Fans immediately began commenting and voiced their worry over Crew’s behavior. 

They feared for him as he wore socks on a slippery, marble countertop while overseeing a “boiling” pan of water. 

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The situation was branded “dangerous” by many, while others defended Joanna and said she was including her son and should be allowed to make her own rules in her own home. 

Joanna is reveling in the time she has with her youngest child as her kids are growing up fast. 

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So-much-so, that her oldest four, Drake, 20, Ella, 18, Duke, 16, and Emmie, 15 are already behind the wheel of a car. 

Speaking with People about her kids’ latest milestone, she joked: “I stalk them on the app Life360!” and noted that the popular tracking app “tells you how fast they’re going.”

It’s hard watching them mature and leave the nest, but Joanna added: “They’re just turning into these wonderful human beings,” and gushed: “My favorite thing is seeing them hanging out in a restaurant together as friends. Because when they were younger I was always monitoring their fights, and now they’re dear friends, which is so cool.”

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Acknowledging the fact that she is only about three years away from all but one of the kids being moved out of the house for college, she further shared: “Knowing that [the older kids] will be gone in the next few years, I’ve made a conscious decision to create micro-moments, to feel in the now with our family, just be really more intentional with our time together.”