Kristen Bell has spent more than a decade shielding her daughters from the spotlight, but on March 28 she made an exception. To celebrate her eldest child, Lincoln, becoming a teenager, the actress pulled back the curtain just enough to let fans see the tiny moments that have defined the last 13 years of parenthood.
A Birthday Post That Spanned 13 Years
“13 years ago today we had our first baby girl ❤️,” Bell, 45, began in an Instagram Reel that quickly climbed past a million likes. The caption accompanied a montage of grainy hospital snapshots, muddy camping trips, backyard cartwheels and one particularly chaotic scene of Lincoln and younger sister Delta, 11, ambushing dad Dax Shepard at the front door while wearing glitter-soaked party hats.
“Getting to know her wit, compassion, and sense of adventure has brought us a kind of joy we didn’t have a word for before we met her,” Bell wrote. “She reminds us every day that family is literally the best of it—the real stuff. (And also to never underestimate how good it feels to hold someone’s hand).”
Shepard, 51, kept his reply simple: five crying-face emojis that summed up the emotion of watching a child edge closer to adulthood.
Why the Couple Almost Never Share Kid Content
Long-time followers of The Good Place star know that photos of Lincoln and Delta are rarer than a Hollywood sequel that outshines the original. Bell and Shepard have spoken openly about wanting their daughters to choose publicity for themselves—if they ever want it at all.
In a 2020 episode of Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Bell explained the boundary: “We don’t show their faces because we believe privacy is the only currency they have left.” The policy extends to press interviews; the girls are referred to by first name only and never join red-carpet events.
Still, the couple occasionally bends the rule for milestone moments: Lincoln’s first day of kindergarten, Delta learning to ride a bike, and now the official entry into teen territory. Each post is carefully curated—backs of heads, silhouettes against a sunset, or extreme close-ups of frosting-covered fingers—so that the memory is preserved without exposing identity.
What the Reel Teaches Us About Bell’s Parenting Philosophy
Scroll past the confetti and you’ll spot three big themes that Bell returns to again and again in interviews:
- Vulnerability is strength. One clip shows Lincoln near tears after losing a board game; Bell narrates that she wants her girls to “feel the sting of failure early and in a safe place.”
- Adventure over perfection. A photo captures the family covered in trail dust after what Bell calls a “grumpy hike.” The caption notes that the complaining was worth the view.
- It takes a village. Bell publicly thanked Mrs. Browne—an elementary-school teacher—for modeling patience, and she shouted-out a circle of friends who stepped in “when Mom and Dad are out of answers.”
Those values echo in the birthday post’s closing line: “Getting to love this kid is the greatest job on earth.”
Life at 13: What Bell and Shepard Have Said About the Tween Years
During a 2023 appearance on The View, Bell joked that parenting a tween is “like living with a lawyer who questions every single household clause.” Shepard, meanwhile, told People that Lincoln already displays the family trademark sarcasm: “She’ll roll her eyes so hard I can practically hear them hit the ceiling.”
Despite the sass, both parents insist the pre-teen phase has been unexpectedly tender. Bell credits open-ended dinner questions—”What was your most embarrassing moment today?”—for keeping communication fluid. Shepard’s tool of choice is the shared Spotify playlist; swapping music has become their nightly ritual.
And yes, the actor has already offered to pay for egg freezing when the girls are older, a quip that made headlines last year but was delivered, he says, as a tongue-in-cheek reminder that reproductive autonomy matters.
How Fans and Fellow Parents Reacted
Within minutes of the upload, celebrity friends flooded the comments. Reese Witherspoon wrote, “Happy birthday, sweet Lincoln! Where did the time go?” Sophia Bush added, “This is beautiful, KB. Parenthood looks good on you.”
Non-famous followers were equally effusive. A top comment that garnered 14,000 likes reads: “Thank you for showing us the backs of their heads. As a mom I get it, and as a fan I appreciate the peek inside.” Another parent wrote, “My son turns 13 next month—feeling all the feels with you.”
What’s Next for the Birthday Girl
Bell and Shepard have not revealed Lincoln’s specific birthday plans, though paparazzi spotted balloons from the popular party shop Balloon and Paper entering the family’s Los Feliz home. Sources close to the couple tell InfluencersWiki that the celebration
InfluencerBlogger
