Kristen Bell is very open with her kids about life, says no topic is 'taboo'

Kristen bell is sharing some insightful parenting advice that we all can learn from her. The "Bad Moms" actress spoke to Real Simple about how she is a staunch believer that no topic is "taboo" to discuss with her daughters, Lincoln and Delta, including their father, Dax Shepard's issues with addiction. "I hate the word 'taboo.' I think it should be stricken from the dictionary," Bell told the magazine for its new "Game Changers" issue. "There should be no topic off the table for people to talk about." Dax Shepard has also been very vocal about his struggles with addiction to children aged 9 and 8. 

"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," the "Frozen" actress explained. "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 credit." In an episode of "Armchair Expert" in September 2020, Shepard said that he had relapsed after 16 years of sobriety and in the same episode, he said he was seven days sober, reports GMA. Bell said she and Shepard, who got married in October 2013, "disagree about 99 percent of the things on earth," but Shepard has taught her invaluable life lessons, such as how to "keep my mind and heart open and moving forward every single day."

During an interview with Chelsea Clinton on the "In Fact with Chelsea Clinton" podcast, Shepard talked about how he responds to questions from his daughters, according to GMA. He says: "Daddy was on these pills for his surgery, and then Daddy was a bad boy, and he started getting his own pills.'" Then, he and Kristen tell their kids "the whole thing." Moreover, Shepard also attends AA meetings every Tuesday and Thursday, which help him to cope with his addictions. He added: "Because I’m an alcoholic, and if I don’t go there, then I’ll drink and then I’ll be a terrible dad." Experts believe that addiction is a family problem because everyone is impacted. 

“The family needs to be part of the solution,” said Debra Jay, an addiction specialist. “It is the biggest opportunity -- family -- they’re the most important group in that person’s life long term and their recovery.” When Shepard first publicly announced relapsing in September on his podcast and also told his wife about relapsing with prescription pain pills after a motorcycle accident, Jay noted that speaking the truth has a massive impact. “You will run into almost nobody who doesn’t have one person in their life that’s addicted,” Jay said. “It’s a huge problem out there. So people like Dax -- they have a big megaphone and they can make a big difference.”

Shepard believes opening up to his children about his addictions will set an example of honesty. “The proudest I am of my children ever is when they admit something and say sorry,” said Shepard in the podcast. “It’s the bravest thing to own your shortcomings.” As per GMA, Kristen will always and forever stand by her husband, regardless of his issues. She said Dax is  "addicted to growth" and "addicted to evolving." She also spoke of the steps he took to be on his journey toward sobriety. "He was like, 'I don't want to risk this family and I did, so let's put new things in place to make sure it doesn't happen again.' We're going back to therapy," she shared. "I will continue to stand by him because he's very, very worth it."