Kristen Bell On Fighting With Dax Shepard: ‘I Felt So Powerful’
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard seem like the perfect couple, sharing their fun times with fans and followers, like that video they made in a mock-up of the original “Africa” video by Toto, but Bell reveals that their lives aren’t always as enviable as they might seem. Instead, Kristen says she and Dax have their fair share of fights, and the Bad Moms star reveals that her arguments with Shepard are definitely nothing to laugh about.
Bad Moms Actress Kristen Bell Opens Up About Her Fights With Husband Dax Shepard
Ms. Bell opened up about her marriage to Shepard in a new interview with the Belfast Telegraph, revealing that she and Dax argue as often as any other married couples, which can only be expected after three years of marriage. As is the case in any relationship, both Bell and Shepard come to the marriage with problems of their own, which only serve to exasperate the drama they face together as a united couple. Kristen has been forthright in revealing her lifelong battle with depression and anxiety, while Dax recently revealed that he struggled with having been victimized as a child, which in turn led to the CHiPs actor struggling with alcohol and drug addiction.
Kristen and Dax have been to counseling and continue to consult a professional, but Ms. Bell credits Dax’s practical approach to working out their problems as being instrumental in keeping their marriage going.
“We fought a lot and I loved a dramatic exit. If I could slam a door, I felt so powerful,” confesses Kristen. “If I could get in my car and screech away, it was even better. He said to me, ‘If we have an issue, you can’t leave. We’re going to talk or I’m not going to do this with you.’ I loved him so much that I was like, ‘I better get my act together.'”
Bell adds that keeping the spice in their relationship has been just as important to surviving as a couple as learning how to argue. The Bad Moms star says she and Dax schedule free nights for their bedroom romps, when they’re sure not to be disturbed by their children, guests, or an early morning alarm clock.
Kristen Bell Shares Her Boldly Honest Views On Motherhood
Bell also opened up about her views on motherhood, as she spoke to Redbook about parenting three-year-old Lincoln Shepard and one-year-old Delta Bell Shepard. She confessed wanting to spoil her children and having a tendency to be too nice, which was all something Bell felt would do more harm than good. By setting boundaries and keeping a small distance, Bell hopes to instill a respect for authority in her children. Kristen says it’s better to limit how much one dotes on their children than to end up raising someone with no common courtesy or respect for others.
Kristen also tries to keep it real, whether she’s sharing pictures of herself with Delta and Lincoln or sharing a special moment between Dax Shepard and herself. She shares a distaste for the way photos are edited on social media to make people seem too perfect.
“In the age of social media, when you can edit your life in beautiful pictures, it’s important to remind moms that all of us are wearing yogurt and all of our hands smell like urine,” says Kristen. “When you present an unrealistic idea of perfection to people, it’s not fair.”
Bell recalls talking about children with Dax, long before the couple had their first child. Kristen saw parents who seemed closed-minded and rather dull, so she confessed to Shepard that she feared that parenthood would change them in negative ways.
“And he said, ‘Those people had bad personalities before they had kids.’ Which is maybe the best point ever made,” says Ms. Bell. “I was like, ‘You’re right! And we’re fun, so let’s stay fun.'”
[Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
