Kristen Bell explains why daughters were drinking O'Douls during Zoom class: 'It makes them feel close to their dad'

Actress says she and Dax Shepard often talk to children about 'sobriety and the importance of it and why Daddy can't drink’

Kristen Bell has revealed that she walked in on her and Dax Shepard’s daughters drinking O’Douls during Zoom class, and why she is okay with the children drinking the non-alcoholic beer.

On Wednesday, the Frozen star appeared on the podcast Say Yes! With Carla Hall, where she prefaced the story: “I'm going to get a lot of flack 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."

The 40-year-old then explained that Shepard, who has been sober for 16 years, brought home a pack of O’Douls the night before, and that their daughters, Lincoln, seven, and Delta, five, often ask for the non-alcoholic drink.

“They’ve been at restaurants and ordered beers,” Bell said, explaining that the girls have become accustomed to the drink because their father has been drinking it since they were babies.

“The reason for this is because when we had our first child and my husband would put her in the Babybjörn, we'd walk around the neighborhood and he'd pop a nonalcoholic beer in his hand and the baby would paw at it and put the rim in her mouth," the Bad Moms star said. "So it’s a sentimental thing for my girls, it makes them feel close to their dad.”

According to Bell, who said that the previous night, the couple’s daughters were drinking O’Douls alongside their father at dinner, she and Shepard have agreed that it’s fine because there is no alcohol in the beverage.

She also said it opens up a conversation about sobriety.

“We're like: 'I mean, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just essentially a bubbly juice.' Right? There's nothing in it," Bell said. "We also talk to them very much about [Dax's] sobriety and the importance of it and why Daddy can't drink."

However, Bell acknowledged that the children’s taste for the non-alcoholic beer may raise questions after she walked in on her daughters drinking the beverage during school Zoom classes.

Explaining that the children have 15-minute breaks where they can grab a snack, Bell said: "I walk in to check on them at 9:30 and both of them are drinking an O'Doul's on their Zooms. They're both just sipping their Doulies. And I'm like: 'What must these other parents and teachers think of me?'”

But, according to the actress, she reminded herself at that moment that she doesn’t care about the opinions of others.

“And then I remind myself: 'You don't care, Kristen. They can pretend like you're doing something wrong.' I would argue that I'm not, because it's nonalcoholic,” she said.

"If anything, it opens up the discussion for why Daddy has to drink nonalcoholic beer, because some people lose their privileges with drinking. Drinking's not always safe."

Bell’s story comes after the family celebrated Shepard’s 16-year sobriety anniversary earlier this month.

“Happy birthday Daxy,” Bell captioned a photo of a handmade card on Instagram. “Thank you for dedicating your life to the hard and wonderful work of sobriety, so that we could share it with you. Xo, K, L & D.”