Kristen Bellbelieves in keeping an open relationship with her daughters.Appearing in REAL SIMPLE’s Game Changers print and digital issue — it’s first-ever celebrity cover — theFrozenstar, 42, talked about why she thinkskeeping total honestywith her kids is one of her keys to parenting.“I hate the word ‘taboo.’ I think it should be stricken from the dictionary,” she tells the outlet. “There should be no topic that’s off the table for people to talk about.“Bell notes that conversations she and husbandDax Shepardhave with daughtersDelta, 8, andLincoln, 9½, might be “shocking” for some, but make sense for her parenting style.“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 says. “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.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Chrisean Rose/REAL SIMPLEThe Good Placeactress later discusses why some of the rules that she and theArmchair Expertco-host, 48, have for their family are about teaching life skills.“Making amends and apologizing is an important thing in our family, because humans leave carnage wherever they go,” Bell says. “I really respect when someone does something wrong or hurtful and they apologize. I’m like, ‘Yeah, right on.’ That’s important.“Chrisean Rose/REAL SIMPLEBell continues, “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.“In a recent chat with PEOPLE aboutHello Bello’s first everState of Parenthood report— afamily goods company the two co-foundedto bring better parenting experiences to all — the mom of two noted she’s enjoying the “comedic surprises” that her girls deliver.Chrisean Rose/REAL SIMPLE"It’s likeliving in a Jim Carrey movie,” she laughed. “Yesterday, I had to say out loud, ‘Could you please stopusing my toothbrushto wash your legs?’ I said that. I never thought I would utter that sentence, but here we are.““The fact that I know that there are other people out there who know why I had to say that and why I was a completely legitimate sentence. I don’t know, it makes me feel a little bit more at peace.“Shepard noted that he’s enjoying how the girls are “increasingly not parroting what they heard.““They’re creating novel ideas and thoughts. And so there’s two more interesting people in the house that are computing the world differently than us and they can communicate it now. And it’s really fun just to have more perspectives around. They’re becoming more like bros for me.”
Kristen Bellbelieves in keeping an open relationship with her daughters.
Appearing in REAL SIMPLE’s Game Changers print and digital issue — it’s first-ever celebrity cover — theFrozenstar, 42, talked about why she thinkskeeping total honestywith her kids is one of her keys to parenting.
“I hate the word ‘taboo.’ I think it should be stricken from the dictionary,” she tells the outlet. “There should be no topic that’s off the table for people to talk about.”
Bell notes that conversations she and husbandDax Shepardhave with daughtersDelta, 8, andLincoln, 9½, might be “shocking” for some, but make sense for her parenting style.
“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 says. “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.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Chrisean Rose/REAL SIMPLE
The Good Placeactress later discusses why some of the rules that she and theArmchair Expertco-host, 48, have for their family are about teaching life skills.
“Making amends and apologizing is an important thing in our family, because humans leave carnage wherever they go,” Bell says. “I really respect when someone does something wrong or hurtful and they apologize. I’m like, ‘Yeah, right on.’ That’s important.”
Bell continues, “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.”
In a recent chat with PEOPLE aboutHello Bello’s first everState of Parenthood report— afamily goods company the two co-foundedto bring better parenting experiences to all — the mom of two noted she’s enjoying the “comedic surprises” that her girls deliver.
“It’s likeliving in a Jim Carrey movie,” she laughed. “Yesterday, I had to say out loud, ‘Could you please stopusing my toothbrushto wash your legs?’ I said that. I never thought I would utter that sentence, but here we are.”
“The fact that I know that there are other people out there who know why I had to say that and why I was a completely legitimate sentence. I don’t know, it makes me feel a little bit more at peace.”
Shepard noted that he’s enjoying how the girls are “increasingly not parroting what they heard.”
“They’re creating novel ideas and thoughts. And so there’s two more interesting people in the house that are computing the world differently than us and they can communicate it now. And it’s really fun just to have more perspectives around. They’re becoming more like bros for me.”
source: people.com
