Dax Shepard has some unorthodox rules when it comes to his and Kristen Bell’s kids using curse words.
“I fully swear in front of my kids. They are allowed to swear, not with impunity, but when it’s called for, and they land it, and it’s in the house and not out at a restaurant, it’s OK,” Shepard, 50, explained during the Monday, July 28, episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast.
“My defense of it is, I just told the girls, like, ‘Hey, these are noises that come out of your mouth, and you assign what they mean to you,’” he continued.
Shepard and Bell, 45, share daughters Lincoln, 12, and Delta, 10.
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell's Most Honest Parenting Quotes
While Shepard said kids cursing isn’t a big deal in his household, guest Seth Meyers offered a different perspective. He shared that he and wife Alexi Ashe try to avoid letting their children, son Ashe, 9, son Axel, 7, and daughter Adelaide, 3, use swear words.
“Sometimes the kids will curse and she’ll look at me again, like they learned it from me,” Meyers, 51, explained. “And I’m like, we walked them to school in New York City. Yesterday, someone’s on the phone saying, ‘Tell them to f*** around and find out.’ And then the kids are like, ‘What does that mean?’ I’m like, ‘Well.’”
He continued, “For us, it’s the fear that they’re gonna take it to school. … “Also, by the way, let’s not underestimate girls and boys. I think with my daughter, 100 percent. You could probably trust her with it. ‘Yeah, I’m gonna tell you this word, don’t say it at school.’ The boys?”
“They’re gonna say it immediately,” Shepard agreed.
However, Shepard pointed out that their children are likely already being exposed to curse words by other students at school.
“There’s no way you’re introducing [them],” he added.
“You just don’t want them to say it in front of a teacher,” Meyers said.
Meyers also joked that the “bummer” is not when kids say the curse word, but when they “steal your delivery” of the word.
“‘Cause I will say, I’ve got a bad habit. Alexi and I are having the most minor of disagreements. I’ll say, like, ‘Jesus Christ,’ as I, like, walk out of the room. And like, the other day, for real, I just heard Ashe be like, ‘Jesus Christ.’ I’m like, ‘All right, we got to talk about it,’” he said.
Kristen Bell Let Her Daughters Roam Danish Theme Park Alone for 7 Hours
Bell previously opened up about her and Shepard’s approach to their kids swearing during a 2020 appearance on Good Morning America’s Strahan, Sara & Keke. She explained at the time that they had mostly ignored it whenever Lincoln or Delta let a curse word slip out because they figured a bigger reaction, like laughing, would cause their kids to use the words more. However, Shepard ultimately had to have a discussion with Lincoln about one word.
“You never told me f*** was a bad word,” Bell said Lincoln told them after school one day.
“Dax has, yet again, the best response,” she continued. “He said, ‘Listen, you’re a kid. There are a lot of things you can’t do until you’re an adult. One of them is drive my car. One of them is drink alcohol. Vote. And say swear words.’”
“It’s as simple as that,” Bell concluded.