Kristen Bell on why it’s important for her daughters to own the ‘nice girl’ label

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When it comes to instilling moral values in her daughters, Kristen Bell is keeping the focus on being kind.

While promoting her new Amazon Prime Video movie, "The People We Hate at the Wedding," Bell spoke to TODAY.com about how she's raising her girls Lincoln, 9, and Delta, 7, to own the "nice girl" label — and why that's important.

"I know there's a lot of parenting books (that say), 'maybe don't tell them they're smart, congratulate the hard work,' because words are kind of important to kids," the “Frozen” actor says. "But a kind girl, a nice girl is a label that I wanted them to own, and I want them to live the rest of their life as."

Bell teaches this lesson when her daughters get into arguments, stressing that being "mean girls" to one another won't help them achieve what they want — both in the moment and in life.

"When they're fighting, I look at them, and I say, you're going to get nothing accomplished," Bell says, explaining that she will do whatever it takes to get that message across — including encouraging them to "gang up" on her.

"So sometimes, (one) will be like, 'I think I should have a dessert.' And I'm like, 'No,' and the other one's like, 'I think she should have a dessert, too. We're on a team.' And I'm like, 'Okay, then she's gonna get a dessert'," Bell says.

Bell's husband, Dax Shepard, echoed this behavior on a recent episode of “The Endless Honeymoon Podcast," saying that if the couple ever are "giving it to" Lincoln, Delta will march over to them and say, "You’re not being nice to Lincoln, you didn’t listen to what she said."

Shepard described their daughters' relationship as them "against the world," sharing they decided to have more than one child so their kids can keep each other humbled as well as have a playmate throughout life.

Bell confirms this when speaking to TODAY.com, saying that she and Shepard wanted two children so they could form a relationship that will stand the test of time.

"I want to really instill in them, 'You are a team. We made two of you so that there would be someone for you guys when we pass, so you guys are to be the strongest relationship you have on the planet, even if you disagree. You don't have to agree on everything, but you do have to maintain the sense of unconditional love for each other'," Bell shares.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com