Lauren Burnham and Arie Luyendyk: Their Approach to Parenting and Social Media Strategy
Arie Luyendyk Jr. and his spouse Lauren Luyendyk (née Burnham) have become accustomed to their public personas since finding love on The Bachelor. However, they harbor mixed feelings about sharing their children on social media.
“We genuinely struggle with it, to be honest, as we are a public family,” Arie, 43, shared with E! News on Thursday, June 19. “We have our kids online, and it’s a challenge to find the balance between showcasing them and protecting their privacy.”
The former Bachelor mentioned, “There will likely come a time when our kids are older, and we may choose to keep them offline, but for now, we feel okay about it.”
Arie and Lauren, 33, first met during season 22 of The Bachelor, which premiered in 2018. Initially, Arie proposed to Becca Kufrin, but later ended their engagement to pursue his feelings for Lauren.
After reuniting, Arie proposed during the After the Final Rose special. They tied the knot in January 2019 and are now proud parents of three children: daughter Alessi, 6, and twins Lux and Senna, 4.
Even though Arie underwent a vasectomy in 2022, stating he was “done” having kids, he later opted for a reversal. Lauren announced in March that they are expecting their fourth child, a girl.
Like many aspects of their lives, the couple has kept their fans updated on Lauren’s pregnancy and various family milestones via social media.
While some celebrities prefer to keep their children out of the limelight, Lauren and Arie see their choice to share Alessi, Lux, and Senna online as a positive decision — at least for now.
“I believe it inspires other parents with the activities we do with our kids,” Arie told E! News. “And reflects how we choose to raise them.”
The couple’s unconventional parenting choices extend beyond their social media strategy. In August 2023, they shared exclusively with Us Weekly their hesitations regarding Alessi starting prekindergarten, resulting in Lauren opting to pull her “out of school early every day.”
Arie explained, “She’s probably enjoying herself. [Lauren’s] more like, ‘No, she’d enjoy it more over here,’” although Lauren later conceded that might not have been the case.
“She’s like, ‘I just got in the pool, Mom — did you have to pick me up now?’ But I’m unsure; it’s challenging!” Lauren shared with Us. “Perhaps he’s right. I did break down in the principal’s office yesterday … I’m just not ready for her to start school.”
Both Lauren and Arie agreed that having their oldest child away for an entire school day, three times a week, wasn’t ideal. “We’ve thought about it and feel, ‘She’s not in kindergarten yet, so why should she be in school for long hours?’” Arie commented to Us. “Since she will be in school for many years to come.”
As their children have matured, Lauren and Arie have made it a priority to keep their family close. They enjoy traveling together, spontaneous beach days, and coordinating Halloween costumes. Their kids even participated in the couple’s vow renewal in 2023.
“I cherished that our kids were there. They had a fantastic time, especially with the island dancers and their extravagant costumes. Lux was completely captivated!” Lauren told Us in August 2023 about their ceremony in Aruba. “[Lux] was just in awe. It was a blast.”
