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Clarkson said it was ‘tricky’ to smack her children in public.
Kelly Clarkson has been open about her parenting style, including her views on spanking, which she isn’t afraid to admit. The American Idol winner explained that she is “not above” smacking her kids when needed, although she acknowledges that it’s a controversial topic.
In a 2018 interview on Atlanta Radio station 94.1, Clarkson revealed that while she doesn’t believe in hitting her children aggressively, she does believe in spanking. She clarified, “I don’t mean hitting her hard, I just mean a spanking.”
Clarkson, who has often shared her thoughts on parenting, reflected on her own childhood. She said, “My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life. I feel fine about it, and I do that as well.” However, she noted that discipline in public can be “tricky” because many people disagree with spanking. “That’s a tricky thing, when you’re out in public, because then people are like, they think that’s wrong or something, but I find nothing wrong with a spanking,” she explained.
She doesn’t immediately resort to spanking; instead, Clarkson says she warns her children first. “I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on your bottom if you don’t stop right now, this is ridiculous,’” she shared. “Honestly, it’s really helped. She doesn’t do that kind of stuff as often.”
It’s unclear whether Clarkson’s views on spanking have shifted in recent years.
Clarkson shares two children with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock—daughter River Rose, 8, and son Remington Alexander, 6. The singer has been candid about the challenges of motherhood, including the “mum guilt” she feels. In a 2016 interview with Redbook, Clarkson confessed, “If you’re a mum, you want to be with your kid every day. You don’t want to miss a moment, you want her to need you and want you and not want somebody else.”
She also admitted that the pressures of motherhood sometimes bring her to tears. “There are days where I cry and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can handle all this!’ or get it all done,” Clarkson said. “But at the end of the day, 99 percent of the time, it’s awesome and it’s worth it, and that’s what I say to myself.”
Before becoming a mother, Clarkson says she was fearless, but now her perspective has changed. “Now I go to bed and I have nightmares of someone just grabbing my little girl and running,” she revealed. “It’s always about me not being able to protect my kids somehow.”
