Dax Shepard says raising two teenage daughters, Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11,has brought new challenges to his marriage with Kristen Bell. The couple has been together for 19 years and shares two daughters. Shepard says they still handle their problems well, but parenting has added stress to their relationship. He recently gave an explanation of why raising children through puberty has altered how they work together.
Dax Shepard says raising two daughters adds stress to his marriage with Kristen Bell
During an Oct. 28 episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, Shepard discussed marriage and parenting with guests Erin and Sara Foster. They asked whether he and Bell ever fight, and he said they are “pretty good at handling our s–t.” However, he admitted that they face plenty of challenges while raising their daughters. “We have two children, and they are going through puberty,” he explained.
Shepard said puberty has changed the family’s daily life and forced him and Bell to find new ways to handle problems. He also recalled how stressful parenting felt when their daughters were very young. “You care so much about the decisions you’re making with the kid,” he said. At that stage, he felt sure that one wrong choice could “f–k it up.”
The actor said he and Bell sometimes disagree about how to handle a situation involving their daughters. Still, they do not scream or swear at each other during these disagreements. Shepard said the years prior to puberty were a time when their parenting style was effective. When new challenges come in, he said, they have to learn to find a new way to do things, even if they don’t all agree on every decision.
Shepard added that sometimes he wonders if marriage would be easier if he didn’t have children. He explained that he and Bell occasionally delay important talks about their daughters for several days. “We’ll kick something down the road for a week,” he said, describing how they wait for a quiet moment to discuss difficult issues. Even with these parenting pressures, Shepard made clear that the couple avoids screaming and swearing at each other, while continuing to work through new challenges together.
