4 min readNew DelhiSep 14, 2021 11:00 AM IST
First published on: Sep 14, 2021 at 11:00 AM IST
Among the many different parenting styles, Hollywood actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, who have two daughters Lincoln and Delta, say that they practise tag team parenting, which allows one parent to take a break when the other steps in.
According to a report in People, Bell had said a few years ago at an event: “We switch kids all the time. Because if I’m talking to the 2½-year-old, and I’m done, I’ll just be like, ‘We’ve got to switch. I don’t want to talk to this kid anymore.’”
The Frozen star had also said that the kid-swapping is done “with good intentions”, so as to give the children the attention they deserve.
“You don’t want to be reactive to your kids. You want to be thoughtful, and you want to be setting a good example. Sometimes that example is crying in front of them and saying, ‘I’m overwhelmed,’ or ‘I’m sad because of XYZ,’ or ‘I’m just sad because I’m feeling sad. I’m going to let my sadness out. And then I’m going to find a way to cheer myself up’,” she was quoted as saying, as mentioned in the report.
The actor had also said that it is “not about perfection, but about being thoughtful and not reactive”. “So in order to not be reactive, we switch kids a lot.”
Just like for many other parents around the world, the biggest motherhood challenge for Bell, too, had been the lack of sleep. “I think that fuels everything. It fuels my lack of patience with my kids sometimes. If I had had a full night’s rest, I would be able to be more patient with them sometimes.”
The actor continued: “It’s a toss-up between that, and truly feeling confident that what you’re doing for your child is the best thing, because it is extremely counterintuitive. Giving them everything and keeping them happy is not the best thing for the development of their character. Sometimes explaining to them, ‘You don’t get everything you want, it’s okay that you can cry about it right now’, is what’s better for them in the long run…”
The term ‘tag-team’ was coined by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington. As mentioned earlier, it essentially happens when parents work alternate schedules, taking turns at both paid employment and child care, either out of choice or necessity. “This ‘tag-team’ parenting strategy is often employed by two-earner, married-couple families with children to cope with their work/family dilemmas,” wrote Heather Boushey, Center for Economic and Policy Research, in the paper Tag-Team Parenting.
Another celebrity couple, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, too, have been known to follow tag-team parenting to take care of their two children Luna and Miles.
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Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard practise tag-team parenting, wherein one parent takes over when the other is busy. (Photo: Instagram/@kristenanniebell) 
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