Dax Shepard explains his 'family square' parenting tactic and what having kids has taught him
Father of two, podcast host and actor Dax Shepard this week shared a page from wife Kristen Bell's parenting playbook that may be the next great tactic for other families to implement when things get tense.
The tactic is known as "calling a family square," Shepard told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.
"This was invented by Kristen, maybe she stole it from a parenting book, I don't know," he said. "I'm gonna give her credit."
What is a family square? How to do the family ritual Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell swear by
"When there's an issue in our house burbling up -- we have 9 and 11-year-old little girls, they're perfect -- but issues do burble up, and people can call a family square. I think the key element is everyone has to sit on the floor," Shepard explained. "I'm much larger than all of them so my wife is always reminding me, ''Sure you're talking in the same volume, but you are very high and it's very intimidating. So let's get you on the ground.'"
He added that during a family square, "There's no interrupting. It's a little bit of a ceremony. And everyone gets to air their grievances and we talk it all out. It goes pretty well most of the time."
The "Armchair Expert" podcast host said that it's usually a one-off incident that sparks the need for this routine, "but they can last."
"We have been trapped in the family square for over an hour for sure," he said with a laugh. "We just had one recently where I was in the middle of it going, 'What's the time limit on the family square? I think we're going in circles.'"
Shepard also shared the biggest thing being a dad has taught him.
"I have learned to be patient, which has really ended up transferring to my whole life, and I don't know if I would have learned that without kids," he said. "I just learned that I was very lucky, and that Kristen has proven to be -- I already thought she would be an incredible mom, but she's really off the charts. She couldn't be a better mom. I'm so grateful that my children have her in their life."
How Dax Shepard keeps 'Armchair Expert' honest, relatable
The 49-year-old first launched his popular comedic podcast "Armchair Expert," which he said "celebrates the messiness of being human," in 2018. He recently inked a deal with Wondery, Amazon's podcast and entertainment company, which is set to launch new video episodes and develop two new podcasts for fans.
Shepard has been hailed by listeners for his honesty on a variety of topics discussed with his wife, academics and celebrities on the podcast over the last seven years, which he attributes to his love of another legendary radio host.
"Probably just from being a big fan of Howard Stern my whole life, I knew that you couldn't be in this format, this medium, without being open. It's just kind of the compact with the audiences," he said. "You're just going to have to be really honest and include everything that's going on in your life. That's the nature of it."
Shepard continued, "I think I entered it with that understanding, but also 20 years in recovery, I'm very used to talking openly around strangers. So I think I had inadvertently been practicing for it for quite a long time."
The beloved Hollywood power couple regularly receive responses from fans that the two are "hashtag relationship goals," Shepard said, adding, "It's very flattering, but we feel some obligation to say it's also a beatdown half the time."
"We have two little kids. It's brutal. We hate each other for long periods and then we repair," he said candidly. "I think being honest about the work that goes into it is important. I don't think you're going to have a star-crossed lover event in your life and it will be easy. I think anything you like in life's gonna be challenging and require work."
The new season of "Armchair Expert" is available now on Wondery and YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
