Raising kids is never easy, but Kristen Bell is going through the terrible teens.
The Emmy-nominated actress and mother of two opened up about her parenting struggles in a new interview with Bustle magazine published Thursday, Oct. 22. Bell shares daughters Lincoln, 13, and Delta, 11, with longtime husband and fellow actor Dax Shepard.
"It's hard. Do not think because I am on your television that it is easy for me. It's brutal. I cry weekly," Bell, 46, said of her family life. "Oftentimes, when you're in that cyclone of puberty, you could think, 'My kid is the only one doing this.' And that is just simply not a fact."
Although Bell says she strives to be open about motherhood to help
raise awareness, the "Nobody Wants This" star also grapples with the public scrutiny that comes with her parenting confessions, likening it to a philosophical struggle: "It's always a debate between Kantianism and utilitarianism."
"For the good of the people, we should share our dirty stories, we should share our shame, we should share our hardships. But for the good of the one?" Bell explained. "My main job in life is to protect those two. I guess a conclusion we came to at a time in our parenting journey is, like, we can share all the cute things when they're little, but when they could possibly be exposed to [media] or possibly have a feeling in response to it … well, now, the equation has changed.
"There's someone else in the mix, and you have to have enough self-awareness and consideration to consider that person. And that person is my daughter, so she's No. 1."
Bell also reflected on how her children have shaped her career choices in recent years.
"Is this going to pull me away from my kids too much? Will I still be able to be the mom that I want to be?" Bell said of her decision-making process. "That's really the No. 1, to be honest. There's nothing higher than that. I would easily let my whole career and all its legacy and notoriety 'disapparate' [disappear] tomorrow if it meant sacrificing something major in my kids' lives or not being there."
But even a dedicated mom like Bell needs a break every now and again.
In May, "The Good Place" alum revealed that she celebrated Mother's Day without her kids, opting instead for a relaxing spa day with friends. Bell opened up about the decision in an Instagram post at the time.
"Six years ago, my husband asked me what I actually wanted for Mother's Day — not what I thought a good mom was supposed to say," Bell wrote. "He told me to close my eyes and think about what I'd actually want if I could have anything. I said: spa day with my mom friends, at home (very me), no logistics, no setup, no cleanup."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kristen Bell opens up about motherhood struggles – 'I cry weekly'
