Denise Richards: I've Told My Kids About Charlie Sheen's Addiction

Being the mother of Charlie Sheen's young children has certainly not been easy for his ex Denise Richards, who is desperately trying to explain all of their dad's highly-publicized antics as best as she can.

"There are times where his life is more colorful than others, more public than others, and as the kids get older it's a difficult thing," Richards, 40, told the ladies of The View on Friday's episode. "I'm learning as I go too. I have never had to deal with this, and this was a subject I had hoped to talk with my children about as they got older. But it's hard."

The actress says she's been as honest as she can with Sam, 6, and Lola, 5, and has been using age-appropriate books to help them understand that their dad is an addict.

"One in particular, I'm blanking on the title, it explains addiction to children," says Richards. "There are images and pictures that a child can understand. I don't know what they fully comprehend from these conversations. They don't know what some of these things are. So I do the best I can, and it's not easy."

Sheen's recent two-day bender ended with the Two and a Half Men star in the hospital, and shut down production on his CBS hit so that he could get in-home rehab counseling. All of this, unfortunately, came as no surprise to his ex.

"This has been something I have dealt with for years," Richards sighed. "This is not a new situation."

Acknowledging that she'll be connected to the actor forever through their children, Richards has accepted that Sheen's demons are something that she'll continue to deal with, as well.

"I mean, you know this is Charlie's lifestyle," she says. "He makes no bones about it. And it is what it is."

How do you think Denise Richards is handling Charlie Sheen's troubles? Chime in below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/denise-richards-ive-told-my-kids-about-charlie-sheens-addiction/1-a-324486

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