It’s so secret that moms judge each other. “Momshaming” is a real thing, and some moms take it very personally. Then there are the moms who know they do things that other moms won’t approve of and honestly don’t seem to care.
Kristen Bell is not afraid of being momshamed. She and her husband, Dax Shepard, have two daughters, 7-year-old Lincoln and 5-year-old Delta. She announces quite private things about her children and her parenting style to the world via her series “Momsplaining With Kristen Bell” and through podcasts and interviews.
While not everyone may agree with all of her parenting decisions, she recently announced one parenting decision that has many parents scratching their heads wondering why she could think what she’s doing is ok.
What is it that Bell is doing that is so controversial? She’s letting her daughter’s drink O’Doul’s non-alcoholic beer. The girls have even been known to order the drink at restaurants and to drink it during Zoom classes.
She admitted to this controversial parenting decision during an episode of the podcast “Say Yes! with Carla Hall.” Bell knew that a lot of people were going to tell her it was a bad idea, but she said that she doesn’t care.
Before admitting to letting her daughters drink O’Doul’s, Bell said, “I’m going to get a lot of flak for this. And let me start by saying I don’t care. You’re allowed to give me any advice you guys want, any of these listeners. You’re welcome to tell me I’m a terrible parent. I don’t care. I’m a great parent, I think. I’m learning every day.”
People on social media are pointing out a couple problems with children drinking O’Douls. For one, they say that it tastes like beer, and children don’t need to develop a taste for beer. Second, they point out that it isn’t completely non-alcoholic. It has 0.5% alcohol by volume.
Wait., Am I reading this wrong, did Kristen Bell say she lets her 5 and 7 YO children drink NA beer?? 1st it tastes distrusting, & 2nd, it has a small amount of alcohol in it. As children of an addict, doesn’t she know that alcoholism is/can be inherited? She is playing w/ fire!!
— Sarah (@SarahRood17) September 16, 2020
@KristenBell umm maybe you don’t realize but there’s a small amount of alcohol in O’Douls. I’m surprised you or a restaurant would serve it to a child.
— Gracie (@PeacefulClover) September 15, 2020
So, why does Bell let her daughters drink O’Doul’s? She says that it all started when they were babies. Their dad would carry them in a baby carrier when they’d go for a walk around the neighborhood, and he’d also bring a can of O’Doul’s with him. She believes that since their dad drinks O’Doul’s it helps the girls feel close to him, and it’s a bond they’ve had since babies.
Do you think it’s okay to let little children drink almost non-alcoholic beer?