When it comes to Hollywood actresses we’d like to claim as a best friend of our own, Kristen Bell definitely tops the list.
Whether it’s her down-to-earth, fun-loving, and sometimes outrageously childish personality, or just the fact that she’s not afraid to be real about her personal life, K-Bell is someone that every woman can relate to.
Notoriously candid about her marriage to husband Dax Shepard, Bell’s recent interview with Men’s Journal is yet another testament to “celebrities: they’re just like us.”
In the November issue, which is set to hit news stands next week, Bell opens up about tattoos, being a ‘bad mom’ and monogamy.
“I’m quite positive we are not meant to be monogamous,” she told the Journal. “It’s difficult, and it requires a lot of attention, vulnerability and openness.”
That’s because in our sinful human nature, we’re innately wired to fight against monogamy.
And while Bell believes it’s not natural for two people to remain monogamous as we’re called to do, she does know that it is possible when both partners strive for a healthy and sustainable marriage. Which is why her and Dax Shepard can live happily and in harmony monogamously.
“He’s very direct about his emotions and I’m grateful for that because it lets me in on the way he thinks as far as tending to our marriage—when we should go to therapy, when we have to be better at intimacy, all those things in order to meet each other’s needs,” she added. “He’s very open about what he needs to stay satisfied in our relationship, because if one partner isn’t satisfied, you just kiss it goodbye; somebody’s going to stray.”
Bell and Shepard have also always been very outspoken about the success that comes from couple’s therapy or marriage counseling.
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However, the same marriage tool that they believe to be the key to a happy marriage also carries a stigma of brokenness, shame and negativity. Almost like if a couple is seeking help in their marriage, it’s because their marriage is ending.
When in fact it should be just the opposite. What good is it to seek wise counsel and make use of a resource meant to strengthen your marriage when the relationship is already in shambles?
If your roof had a leak—just one small area that needed work—you would tend to it early as to prevent further damage. You wouldn’t wait until the entire roof caved in on your house to decide it’s time to start fixing it.
The same is true for marriage counseling. And as far as Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are concerned, there’s nothing taboo about it.
So even though Kristen Bell acknowledges that scientifically, she believes humans are not wired to be monogamous, I think it’s safe to say she’s figured out ways for her and her husband to make monogamy work for them, as God has called us to.
And it’s some Hollywood marriage advice we can actually get on-board with.
