Kristen Bell Isn’t The Best Mom Ever, And She’s Okay With That

Kristen Bell wants moms to spend less time worrying about being perfect

If you’re a mom, there’s a good chance Kristen Bell is one of your parenting idols. She’s funny, she’s relatable, she’s adorable, and during a recent interview, she gave us even more reasons to love her when she admitted she’s not the perfect mom or wife — and she’s totally okay with it.

In an interview with Today, 35-year-old Bell described life with her two toddlers as “comical” and absolutely chaotic. “Every day when you’re raising kids, you feel like you could cry or crack up and just scream ‘This is ridiculous!’ because there’s so much nonsense, whether it’s what they’re saying to you or the fact that there’s avocado or poop on every surface,” she joked.

Bell, who’s mom to three-year-old Lincoln and one-year-old Delta, is currently on a press tour to promote her new movie, Bad Moms. The movie is an over-the-top comedy about moms shedding the ridiculous expectations society has for us, and Bell told Today that’s something she actually feels strongly about. “There are so many moms and so many people out there who are done with that game of picking sides and having stereotypes and feeling like we’re at war with each other,” she said.

She continued, “I choose not to label myself under any circumstance. I’m not a good mom; I’m not a bad mom. I’m the mom I am and I try very hard, and when I fail, that’s OK. I often plan to make dinner and find that I’m in way over my head. I should’ve planned for 20 minutes and I chose a recipe that lasted two hours and I blew it. And that’s OK. So, the next night I make a different choice. But I think the labels are part of the problem.”

[shareable_quote]”When I look down, even now, at the extra skin on my belly, it’s a reminder that I’ve done something spectacular. It’s a reminder that I’m a superhero.”[/shareable_quote]

Bell feels just as strongly about rejecting postpartum body pressures as she does any other labels or expectations. When asked about the scrutiny on female bodies — especially mom bodies — and how she feels about the media’s ridiculous focus on losing the “baby weight,” Bell responded, “Who cares? I didn’t lose my baby weight for over a year. And when I look down, even now, at the extra skin on my belly, it’s a reminder that I’ve done something spectacular. It’s a reminder that I’m a superhero.”

A lot of the things Bell said are what us “normal” moms say all the time, but it’s refreshing to hear a celebrity speak so candidly about her body, her life with kids, and even the fact that, yes, she faces the same pressures, judgment, shaming, and “mommy wars” bullshit the rest of us deal with. The culture of motherhood these days is so competitive and harsh, and no one is immune — not even our mom BFF, Kristen Bell — but the important thing is figuring out who you are and what’s important to you and ignoring all the rest.

“[Motherhood] has set my priorities straight and allowed me to be a lot happier,” Bell said. “I don’t worry nearly as much because as long as I know my family is happy and healthy and together, nothing else matters.”