Kristen Bell says no topic is off-limits with her daughters: 'I talk to my kids about drugs, and the fact that their daddy is an addict'
Kristen Bell has no problem getting vulnerable.
The mom of two opened up about the fun side of spousal disagreements and the importance of discussing difficult topics with her children in a recent interview with Real Simple.
"I hate the word ‘taboo.’ I think it should be stricken from the dictionary," said Bell in “The Sit Down with Kristen Bell” video, part of the Game Changers Issue:
"There should be no topic that's off the table for people to talk about. I know it's shocking, but I talk to my kids about drugs, and the fact that their daddy is an addict, and he's in recovery, and we talk about sex," she said, explaining that kids are often more capable of understanding than they are given credit for.
"There are all these 'hard topics' that don't have to be if you give the person on the other end your vulnerability and a little bit of credit," she said.
Bell shares her two daughters, 9-year-old Lincoln and 8-year-old Delta, with husband Dax Shepard, who has been vocal about his journey with substance abuse.
"When I met my husband, he'd just recently started to be in recovery. If he found a pill, he'd be gone for three days. He'd miss Christmas and do lots of things that are inarguably bad things," she said.
But through his battle with addiction, Bell says she was able to tap into a more vulnerable side of herself because of his ability to express his emotions in their rawest form.
"I was a goody-goody with a temper. He was vulnerable and communicative. That scrambled my brain, because I was like, 'I'm the one who does things right, OK? 'And he was like, 'But you don't, because you're scared to say what you really feel.' It was hard for me to say when something scared me. I realized that when I talked more about my fears, I gained more respect from not just my husband but everyone in my life," she said.
She also explained that the two don't always see eye to eye, but rather than a point of contention, their disagreements have become one of the most "fun" aspects of their partnership.
"We disagree about 99% of the things on earth, which is just fun and interesting. I often feel under qualified, whether for an acting scene or a parenting moment. When I feel wonky about my day, I tell my husband, 'I like doing this, but I don't really know what I'm doing.' And he goes, 'All you need to do is get the project to the finish line.' When I think about it like that, I realize I might actually be good at it," she said.
Beyond the importance of vulnerability and communication, Bell also wants her kids to be able to admit when they've messed up. An inevitable part of life, she says.
"Making amends and apologizing is an important thing in our family, because humans leave carnage wherever they go. I really respect when someone does something wrong or hurtful and they apologize. I'm like, 'Yeah, right on.' That's important. If there's one thing I want to teach my kids, it's how to make amends—and that it's for themselves, so they can like who's in the mirror a little bit more."
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