Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard Slammed for This ‘Irresponsible’ Parenting Decision They Made in a Foreign Country

In a recent interview with revered talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, Hollywood star Kristen Bell revealed how she and her husband allotted their young kids some freedom during a family vacation. Bell and Dax Shepard’s parenting decision has been heavily criticized online, with many unable to fathom how they could allow such a thing to happen in a foreign country.

Video footage of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” interview, which was posted on September 20, depicted Bell divulging how she, Shepard, and their eleven and nine-year-old daughters, Lincoln and Delta, went on a trip to Denmark.

Initially, the “Frozen” star and Kimmel spoke about the pain points parents tend to experience when vacationing with their kids.

“But don’t you find that going on vacation as a parent, it’s not a vacation, you’re just watching your kids in a different city?” Bell asked Kimmel, to which he replied, “It’s terrible. It’s terrible. It’s worse than being at home.”

“Truly! Because they have none of their creature comforts, they’re asking you a thousand more questions than they normally do,” continued the actress. Kimmel then jumped in with another parent-kid vacation annoyance about children always wanting to be in their parents’ room.

Afterward, Bell explained how she and her family were staying at a hotel in Copenhagen that opened up into a 7-acre theme park called Tivoli Gardens. She then revealed the parenting hack she and Shepard decided to try out with their kids.

“We just were kind of like, ‘Are we gonna like free-range parenting and roll the die here?’ We let them wake up — they woke up at like 6 every morning. They like scanned their bracelets to go outside — didn’t see ’em for seven hours. Just running around Copenhagen,” disclosed the mom of two.

The surprise was evident on Kimmel’s face as he raised his eyebrows and marveled, “Oh! Really?” After laughing, Kimmel asked if everything went okay with their plan, to which Bell clarified that it did, adding “They’re both alive. We all returned home.”

Social media was abuzz with fiery reactions from netizens who were taken aback by the revelation Bell had shared. Many expressed their disapproval of the parenting decision.

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t agree! To each their own… I’m paranoid or helicopter Mom or whatever, but that would not be me!” stated a social media user.

A Facebooker chastised, “That is so irresponsible. Someone could have picked their daughters up and taken them away and then what would they have done?”

Another remarked, “I would never let them wander around alone and in a foreign country.” Expressing a similar sentiment, an observer echoed, “9 and 11 is a little young to be allowed to roam around a theme park alone, in any country.”

While Bell and Shepard may have less strict rules when it comes to letting their kids roam around in certain places, they have a hard rule about protecting their privacy.

“Sorry. Safe or not, those little kids should have been with [their] parents the whole time. Hire a nanny at least. Once they’re 13 and up it’s fine but you never know about this world anymore,” penned someone on YouTube.

Another YouTuber pondered, “So between the 2 of them they don’t make enough money to hire somebody to watch their children?”

Jumping on the nanny bandwagon and expressing what they think a family vacation is all about, someone else wrote, “Not exactly a family vacation now is it… better off hiring a nanny. [The] idea of family vacation is spending time together and sharing the experiences together.”

Coming to Bell and Shepard’s defense, a netizen reasoned, “Denmark is safe compared to so many countries.” Another defender, who has lived in Denmark for 16 years, asserted, “It’s not that uncommon for parents to let kids walk alone in Denmark.”

The same user also mentioned how Tivoli Gardens, in particular, is safe because it is a small, closed-off park with English-speaking staff monitoring the perimeter and ready to intervene if something goes wrong.

While Bell and Shepard may have less strict rules when it comes to letting their kids roam around in certain places, they have a hard rule about protecting their privacy. Bell discussed this in a 2020 interview.

“The Good Place” actress revealed how she never shows her daughters’ faces on social media. Her decision is further underscored by her support of the 2013 California “No Kids Policy” law that prohibits paparazzi from snapping photos of stars’ children. Bell was among the celebrities who lobbied to pass the law.

“My feeling is that I chose a career in the public eye. I chose to be quoted, I chose to have my picture taken. I don’t know them yet. I don’t know if they will want that. So I really don’t have the right to choose for them,” explained Bell of her decision.

In addition to protecting their kids’ right to consent and privacy, Bell and Shepard also safeguard their girls’ emotional well-being and health. The doting mom of two previously emphasized the importance of her and Shepard showing their daughters what healthy behavior looks like.

“We always make up in front of them if anyone gets snarky […] or fights, which we all do. We do not have the makeup, our conflict resolution, be behind closed doors,” divulged Bell in May of this year (2024).

She went on to share, “[We] will apologize and make amends to each other in front of the kids so that they can see how conflict resolution actually happens.”

Confirming his wife’s assertions, Dax Shephard, who revealed that the duo had learned this parenting tip in couples counseling, reiterated, “So we try, as often as possible, to do that in front of them. If we fought in front of them, we want to also make up in front of them.”

Outside of conflict resolution, the parents also ensure that their daughters maintain a healthy and nutritious diet.

Bell had partnered with former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and PLEZi Nutrition to assist families with their health. She spoke about how the public wellness company helped with the “constant impasse” she found herself at concerning the amount of sugar her kids wanted to consume.

PLEZi’s healthier alternative to sugary beverages was a hit among Bell and Shepard’s kids. It was so popular among them that Bell even recalled how within 48 hours of her buying a batch of the product, Delta and Lincoln had finished it all.

This was not only because they enjoyed drinking it but because they were trading it for other snacks among their friends at school. “The PLEZis were a hot ticket item! They were bringing like six at a time in their backpacks,” recalled Bell of how popular the drink had become.