Kristen Bell is taking what she has learned about mental health and passing the importance of preserving it on to her children.
The Veronica Mars star, 40, and Dax Shepard recently spoke with Dr. Wendy Mogel at Advertising Week 2020, discussing their Hello Bello brand and how virtual school has been going for their two daughters — Delta, 5½, and Lincoln, 7½ — during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm going to prioritize her mental health, just like I prioritize my mental health, and if she is too overwhelmed, I'm going to shut the computer and take a 5-minute break," Bell says.
As for what the girls might miss out on while learning from home, the actress shares a mantra from Shepard that they have been tapping into: " 'One day or one year is not going to break anyone.' "
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Kristen Bell: Homeschooling Kids with Dax Shepard "Made Me Fall Much Deeper in Love with Him"
"When we can all take off our student and educator hats at the end of the night, it's really nice," says the Armchair Expert podcast co-host, 45.
The Good Place actress says that the couple's approach to bedtime for the sisters has changed a lot in the months since the pandemic began, explaining that she and Shepard "were very quick to put them to bed" beforehand but have found peace as a family in the moments right before lights out.
"Now, since we don't have a lot on our plate in our evening, we take the time to lay with them in bed," she shares. "I used to be a little hell bent on the time and I wanted them to get their sleep in and now there's this beautiful half hour where it's almost the only time of day where they're nice to each other. One's got a doll in her hand and the other one says, 'Here, let me braid that for you,' and she says, 'Thank you.' "
That time has become Bell's "favorite part of day because we're just witnessing them in whatever the opposite of a witching hour is … their kindness hour, where their brains are starting to calm down and they're able to be nice to each other. I couldn't see that moment before the pandemic."
Spending more time at home together has also made the couple choose their battles in other ways, and to give themselves "grace" in terms of schedules having to unfold just so.
"During this pandemic, what I really learned is, again, the grace from myself — just to let go of some of the things I wanted to control, like [having] to brush your teeth every night," Bell says.
Both Lincoln and Delta are involved in making decisions for Hello Bello, too. As their mom reveals of the girls' input regarding product scents, "We'll have all eight in the bathtub and they get to vote — sharing their opinions on what scents they like, what is too wrong and what they don't like."
"They are our control group," Shepard adds.
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