Kristen Bell has opened up about how she and Dax Shepard explain to their children what death is.
The 43-year-old actor discussed how she communicates openly with her daughters – Lincoln, 11, and Delta, nine – during an interview with E! News, published on June 20. While noting that she and Shepard don’t like to lie to their children about anything, she recalled the conversation the family of four had about the concept of death.
“When my daughter first asked us: ‘What happens when we die?’ My husband and I looked at each other and we were like: ‘What tale do we choose?’” Bell explained.
She then revealed how she and Shepard ultimately answered their daughter’s question, adding: “We were like: ‘We don’t know. You might just become flowers, but you might end.’”
Despite her concerns about the conversation, the Good Place star acknowledged that her daughter took no issue with the actor’s remark about death.
“She cried for a minute. Then she went: ‘Okay,’” Bell added. “I still can’t believe we got through that.”
Along with questions about how someone dies, Bell said that her daughters have asked where babies come from. However, she noted that when her children got the answer, they weren’t necessarily interested in the conversation anymore.
“One kid asked us and Dax started explaining the sperm meets the ovum,” she explained. “And truly, within 30 seconds, she had walked outside because she was so bored. So it’s worked in our favor, and we’re going to keep it up as long as we can
Bell also described some other things her family talks about, like the importance of moving their bodies around a little when needed.
“They don’t love it when you just come at them with advice. But if my husband and I say: ‘Ugh, I’m feeling so sluggish, I really need to move my body,’ then we say: ‘Do you want to come on a walk with us?’ They’re much more likely to join,” she explained.
According to the Veronica Mars star, she and Shepard always answer their children’s questions honestly, which she admitted “requires a lot of brain power.”
“Because you have to filter what’s appropriate for their age group, what isn’t going to scare them too much, but just maybe enough. You have to make all these quick calls, all these blank decisions, and it’s hard,” she said.
This isn’t the first time that Bell has opened up about her parenting style. During an interview with Real Simple in February 2023, she once again said that she and Shepard aren’t afraid to have difficult conversations with their children.
“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, referring to her husband’s previous struggles with addiction. “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 added: “I hate the word ‘taboo’. I think it should be stricken from the dictionary. There should be no topic that’s off the table for people to talk about.”
