Dax ShepardandKristen Bellhave a big rule when it comes to their daughters: Don’t lie.
Case in point? The actors and parents toDelta, 4 this month, andLincoln, 5½, are all about celebratingChristmasand the idea ofSanta Clauswith their girls, but when they ask about the validity of his existence, the stars give it to them straight.
“I have a fundamental rule that I will never lie to them, which is challenging at times,” Shepard, 43, toldUs WeeklyMonday during his visit toChildren’s Hospital Los Angeles, admitting the “controversial” nature of the decision before explaining his reasoning.
Michael Simon/Startraks
“Our 5-year-old started asking questions like, ‘Well, this doesn’t make sense, and that doesn’t make sense,’ ” recalled the formerParenthoodstar. “I’m like, ‘You know what? This is just a fun thing we pretend while it’s Christmas.’ ”
Rich Fury/Getty
Kristen Bell/Instagram
That doesn’t mean the girls don’t appreciate St. Nick, though. As Shepard explained toUs, “Theylove watching movies about Santa, they love talking about Santa. They don’t think he exists, but they’re super happy and everything’s fine.”
And just like the season’s most recognizable icon, Delta and Lincoln — who are newly “infatuated” with Barbie dolls, according to their dad — are learning all about giving not only at Christmastime but throughout the year.
“We encourage them to give something of theirs to whatever friend comes over,” Shepard shared. “We’re trying to show that an object can give you some joy when you get it, but thenseeing how it can make someone else happyis sometimes even more fun than the thing was itself.”
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell on Christmas in 2013.Dax Shepard/Twitter
RELATED VIDEO: Here’s the Secret to Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell Being #CoupleGoals Always
“I think giving them the tools to understand that certain things happen at a young age is important,”The Good Placeactresssaid onWTF with Marc Maronin September. “We’re not morbid about it. We don’t talk about death, but she asks, we tell her.”
She also told Maron about why she doesn’t want her kids to have a religious understanding of death, explaining, “As a parent, in my life, what I reallywant to give to my kidsis the science of it and the critical thinking of it.”
source: people.com
