Kristen Bell opened up to Us Weekly about the challenges of raising two toddlers with husband Dax Shepard, how they keep the spark alive in their marriage and why mothers should just follow their instincts when it comes to parenting.
The A Bad Moms Christmas star, 37, believes that it’s important for moms to not feel obligated to follow the endless advice online about how to raise children. “Take it all in and then decide what works for you,” she told Us on Thursday, January 25. “If you don’t use a single piece of advice, that’s fine. You don’t have to. Just follow your instincts. But at least you know it’s at your fingertips, and you’re not alone.”
While some people look to the How to Be a Latin Lover star as a motherhood role model, she said she isn’t immune to comparing herself to other moms. “I’m a human being,” she said. “But I try to stop that before it starts. I think that if you compare yourself too often, you can actually get a comparison hangover. Also, everything you’re doing seems okay until you compare yourself to someone else.”
Bell made history when she became the first-ever host of the SAG Awards on January 21, and she says she hopes to empower her own daughters to follow their dreams, especially with the recent changes that are happening in Hollywood. “Those seeds of empowerment are planted so early, and what is great about this movement happening right now is that people are now thinking about how to plant those seeds. I’m glad that people are standing up and talking about tough topics right now,” the Frozen star told Us. “I’m definitely working towards empowering my daughters.”
Bell and Shepard, 43, are a team when it comes to raising their daughters Lincoln, 4, and Delta, 3, but she says it can sometimes come between their relationship. “It is stressful to figure out how to solve the problems that come along with raising kids when there’s more than one cook in the kitchen,” The Good Place actress revealed. “It’s all understanding that your partner also wants the best for your child, and try to relieve a little bit of your stronghold.”
To keep their spark alive, the couple, who tied the knot in October 2013, make it a point to schedule a date night once or twice a month. “We make an effort to cuddle and remain physical with each other,” she said. “You find you’re often cuddling with your girls, but then you realize you haven’t touched your partner on the back of the neck or put your arm around him in a week. It’s just paying attention to things like that that I think will keep you connected.”
The Veronica Mars alum said that road tripping is also something they do to bond as a family, which explains the duo’s partnership with the car rental company Enterprise. “I would say we probably average eight or nine road trips a year. We just really like to travel as a family and just explore the United States,” she told Us. “Enterprise can handle most any transportation need you might have, whether you need to rent, buy or share.”
She added: “They’re a company that I believe in, and I found that they’re ethics and ideas of giving back are very similar to mine and they care deeply about the environment and sustainability, so we’re all on the same page there.”
With reporting by Marc Lupo.
