Once upon a time, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard made a baby and they named her Lincoln. She's adorable. Of course. And Kristen hasn't been afraid to talk about the range of emotions (or lack thereof) during her journey to motherhood. She said she didn't really feel a bond during pregnancy, and because of her admission of these feelings, people were hating on her. But who are we to tell anyone how they are supposed to feel? Sheesh. Wait until you hear what she's saying now though!
While visiting the Chelsea Lately show, Kristen talked about how she and Dax are raising their 10-month-old daughter and admitted that she will not be censoring her from watching risque movies. I like this way of thinking. But my parents did take me to see Flashdance when I was 11. Look. I turned out just fine. Kristen did take it one step further and dared to say something many parents wouldn't ... couldn't ... even mutter.
Kristen told Chelsea that Lincoln can watch whatever she wants. I guess that means Yo Gabba Gabba and perhaps The Lifeguard (danger! Mommy's sex scene). She also said she wants her daughter to enjoy sex. Prepare. She says "vagina":
People ask, 'Oh, well you've done some sexy material. Do you not want her to see that?' And I'm like, 'My guess is if she's anything like the other five billion people on the planet, she's gonna grow up and enjoy sex, so I'm not gonna be shocked by that.' I just think you're setting yourself up for disaster if you try to keep them little. She's gonna grow up. She has -- newsflash! -- a vagina, and she's gonna figure it out one day, and more power to her.
More power to her! More power to the vagina, too! If we put this shroud of mystery on sex and make it seem like a bad thing, kids are going to get the wrong idea about it, causing perhaps unhealthy views of sex, and it may even get them into trouble. Being open, honest, not hiding what is natural (sex is natural), that's a good thing.
When we talk to our kids about the birds and the bees ... wait a minute ... that sounds so silly. Re-start. When we talk to our kids about sex is up to each family. When you feel it's time, then it's time. But we shouldn't wait too long and we also shouldn't totally shield our kids from reality. Too much of that breeds dysfunction. We should also think about when we are going to have that talk as soon as we become a parent ... maybe even before. Lots to think about. Of course, this is just my two cents ... take it if you will from a woman who saw (and loved) Flashdance when she was 11. What a feeling!
What do you think of Kristen's views on letting her daughter watch what she wants and embracing the fact that her daughter will enjoy sex someday?Are you more of an open, talk about anything kind of parent or not?
Image via vagueonthehow/Flickr