In his almost 20 years in the entertainment industry, actor Dax Shepard has learned what it takes to create a longstanding career. Now, he’s learning what it takes to be an effective father.
Shepard and his wife, actress Kristen Bell, have been known to speak very candidly about their ups and downs as the parents of two daughters, Lincoln, age four, and Delta, age two. In March, for instance, Shepard went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and admitted that he accidentally taught Lincoln the F-word, using the expletive after hitting his nose on a bookshelf in her bedroom.
“Two days later, Kristen’s walking down the hallway and Lincoln’s in her room trying to get a sweatshirt off,” Shepard said. “And her arms are all bound up in it and she’s getting frustrated and she goes, ‘Oh, f—!’ About five hours later, we’re at a pool party. Swear to God, she’s in the pool, she goes, ‘This pool’s f—in’ warm.”
Although Shepard and Bell decided to ignore Lincoln’s new use of colorful language instead of making a big deal out of it, they couldn’t help but be in awe of their daughter’s grasp of grammar.
“We were like, ‘She’s nailing the syntax. She knows [how to use it] as an adjective, as an adverb.’ We were proud, and she stopped saying it.”
But even with funny mistakes like that, Shepard is definitely doing some things right. Earlier this month, he told E! News at a Charmin Restrooms event in New York that he was doing his part to make Lincoln and Delta feel empowered by helping to build their self-confidence.
“I don’t feel like they require any brainwashing,” he said. “You love them; you try to give them opportunities to build self-esteem and believe in themselves. You can’t tell someone they’re great. You have to give them opportunities to prove to themselves they’re great.”
Bell is on the same page as well. She inspires her daughters to be confident and healthy and stay positive.
“I love having girls,” she told People in September. “The truest thing in life is that girls rule, boys drool.”
The Hollywood couple’s dedication to raising strong and empowered daughters has earned them praise and recognition. Splash TV even called them “some of the best parents Hollywood has to offer.”
Shepard also applies these parenting tactics to his work outside of the home. As a self-proclaimed feminist, he thinks that the next generation of Hollywood stars can benefit by giving women more chances to call the shots and show what they’re made of.
“Well, I think, obviously, the more roles that women have where they’re creating policy—whether that’s the work environment or, you know, how we’re communicating, any of those things—I think the more empowered women are, the better off we all are,” he said.
If Shepard can empower his two young daughters, there is hope that his advice can empower Hollywood’s blossoming women stars as they try to make names for themselves in a male-dominated industry.
Featured Image by Ravend on Flickr
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