Dax Shepard said that having two children who are going through puberty is the main “stressor” in his marriage to Kristen Bell.
Shepard shared on Wednesday’s episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcastthat while the couple have been “pretty good at handling” their issues for the last 19 years, they still deal with “a lot of s–t” like navigating raising their daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11.
“It throws the whole dynamic into a new zone that you have to figure out,” he told “Nobody Wants This” creator Erin Foster and her sister, Sara.
“You know, I think it’s really hard when they’re really little because you care so much about the decisions you’re making with the kid,” Shepard, 51, continued. “You’re certain you can f–k it up.”
Shepard admitted he and Bell, who have been together since 2007, are sometimes “butting heads” over “stressful” parenting decisions.
“And then there’s a sweet spot between, like, [age] 6 and puberty,” he explained. “You’re like, ‘This is working out pretty good. I think this compromise, however we’re doing it, is working.’”
The “Parenthood” alum said that when “a whole new situation” involving their kids arises, he and Bell have to come up with “a new strategy” that they don’t always agree on.
“And then there’s more stress,” he continued. “I like to think if we didn’t have kids, it would be pretty smooth sailing.”
But the couple, Shepard insisted, “don’t scream at each other or swear at each other.”
Shepard acknowledged that being a loud voice contributes to his marital issues, and said that sometimes, he and the “Frozen” actress drag out their disagreements.
“We’ll kick something down the road for a week,” he said. “We’ll go to bed for a week where it’s like, ‘We’re gonna have to talk about this eventually.’’”
But Shepard said then the couple ask themselves, “What day will that be? When will there be enough free air in the f–king room without the kids to mount this?”
The dad of two added, “You might have a reprieve from the kids’ stuff we’re doing. So certainly, there’s like four or five nights in a row where you’re like, ‘There’s a talk looming. There will be a sit-down.’”
Since tying the knotin 2013, Shepard and Bell haven’t shied away from sharing extremely personal details of their marriage and family.
Bell recently told Bustle that she cries “weekly”while navigating her relationship with Shepard and motherhood in the public eye.
The “Veronica Mars” star explained she’s intentionally vocal about her family’s struggles to help other parents, but also knows that her “main job” is to “protect” her daughters.
As a mother, Bell has confessed to giving her kids non-alcoholic beer, letting them use curse words and using them to spy on Shepard while she’s away.
Shepard, for his part, revealed last year that he and Bell purposefully raise “entitled” and “disrespectful” daughters.
“What I’m prioritizing … is when they’re 19 and their boss is a f–king creep, I want them to talk back,” he said on “Armchair Expert” in November.
“I want them to always advocate for themselves, whether I think they’re right or wrong.”
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