Actress Richards talks on ex-husband Sheen

Denise Richards says she could no longer shield her daughters Sam, 7, and Lola, 6, from the drug-related travails of their father, her ex-husband Charlie Sheen.

"As far as the media, I shield them completely, but there were a few things they would hear through other kids," Richards, 40, told Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" Tuesday. "I did have to have a conversation with them about addiction and got a book to read to them because I was just lying to them so much and covering up and telling lies, and it was just getting too confusing."

Richards said she takes the long view in her relationship with her troubled ex. "He's the father of our daughters and I still care very much for him and want him well," she said.

Now a single mother, Richards recently adopted infant daughter Eloise Joni, who is African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian. "I love being a mom more than anything," Richards said in an interview taped for an ABC News "Primetime Nightline" special Wednesday night. "And I wanted to have more children. And I had to make a decision, 'Do I wait until I meet the right person? Or do I keep moving forward with my life and do it on my own?' "