Dax Shepard has said that raising two daughters who are going through puberty is the main stressor in his marriage to Kristen Bell. The actor, 51, made the admission on Wednesday's episode of his Armchair Expert podcast, speaking to Nobody Wants This creator Erin Foster and her sister, Sara.
He said the couple have been "pretty good at handling" their issues over the last 19 years, but still face significant challenges as they raise Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11. Shepard explained that parenting stress changes with the ages of the children.
When they are very small, he said, you care so much about each decision that you feel certain you can make mistakes. He said there is then a sweet spot between the ages of six and puberty, when the compromises the couple have reached seem to be working.
When a "whole new situation" arises, he and Bell have to come up with a new strategy, and they do not always agree on it. He admitted they sometimes find themselves butting heads over stressful decisions.
"And then there's more stress," he said. "I like to think if we didn't have kids, it would be pretty smooth sailing." Shepard insisted the pair do not scream or swear at each other.
He acknowledged that being a loud voice contributes to their problems, and said they can drag out disagreements, putting off a difficult conversation for a week. He said they then wonder when there will be enough free air in the room without the kids to have it, and that a break from the children's activities might leave four or five nights in a row with a talk looming.
Shepard and Bell, who have been together since 2007 and married since 2013, have long been open about their relationship. Bell recently told Bustle that she cries weekly while navigating her marriage and motherhood in the public eye.
She has said she is vocal about her family's struggles to help other parents, but that her main job is to protect her daughters. Shepard has also spoken about his parenting approach.
Last November on Armchair Expert, he said: "What I'm prioritising ... is when they're 19 and their boss is a creep, I want them to talk back."