Cal Gaunt
Kelly Clarkson has sparked outrage after admitting to spanking her children if they misbehave.
Clarkson, 42, is an American singer-songwriter known for tracks such as ‘Because Of You’ and ‘Since U Been Gone.’
She’s estimated to have sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide and has been dubbed ‘one of pop music’s greatest singers’ by Billboard.
But now, Clarkson faces major backlash over her controversial parenting admissions.
After the pop star said she’s ‘not above spanking’ her children, people took to X, formerly Twitter, and shared their outrage.
One person said: “Kelly Clarkson should’ve been canceled when she proudly admitted that she spanks her kids.
“I for one deleted all her music from my library when she said that.”
Another added: “I was spanked as a kid and it was traumatizing. I don’t even remember what I did wrong I only remember being terrified.”
“You can’t hit someone and then teach them that hitting you is wrong,” argued a third.
Somebody else wrote: “I can’t imagine hitting my kid, no matter how frustrating he’s being. Kids don’t have the reasoning and emotional regulation skills adults do.”
Others defended Clarkson, with one fan commenting: “There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s a way of giving discipline to kids in my culture.”
Agreeing, a second said: “All I can say is I stole candy when I was a kid, got spanked, and then never did it again.”
The ‘Stronger’ singer, who shot to fame after winning the first-ever American Idol, shares two children with talent manager Brandon Blackstock.
They welcomed daughter River Rose in 2014 and son Remington ‘Remy’ Alexander in 2016.
The pair met in 2006 and began dating in 2012, leading to their engagement later that year and marriage in 2013.
After nearly seven years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce in June 2020, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
Their divorce involved a prolonged legal battle over spousal support, child custody, Clarkson’s Montana ranch, and more, per Us Weekly.
Their divorce was finalized in 2022 and they came to a settlement that Clarkson would pay Blackstock a one-time payment of $1,326,161, as well as $115,000 monthly until January 31, 2024, and $45,601 per month in child support, reports Today.
It was agreed the pair would share joint custody of their kids, with Clarkson having primary custody.
As of this year, the pop star has reached a confidential settlement in her battle with Blackstock over the millions in commission he paid himself as her manager, according to Rolling Stone.
Despite the challenges of the split, Clarkson has remained focused on her career and children and often opens up about being a parent.
In a 2016 interview with Redbook, she said: “I have a lot of mom guilt. I was just talking about this… If you’re a mom, 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.
“I’m not gonna BS you, that’s hard. There are days where I cry like and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I can handle all this!’ or get it all done. 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.”
But it’s other parenting comments that have landed Clarkson in hot water with fans.
On Atlanta radio station 94.1 in 2018, the ‘A Moment Like This’ singer shared (via FM104): “I’m not above a spanking, which people aren’t necessarily into.
“I don’t mean hitting her hard. I just mean a spanking.”
Clarkson added that her parental discipline approach stems from her childhood experiences, adding that she’s done ‘fine in life.’
She continued: “My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life, and I feel fine about it, and I do that as well.
“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.”
On disciplining her daughter by spanking, she added: “I warn her.
“I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on your bottom if you don’t stop right now, this is ridiculous,’ and honestly it’s really helped. She doesn’t do that kind of stuff as often.”
A statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) condemns using spanking when disciplining children.
It reads: “Corporal punishment – or the use of spanking as a disciplinary tool – increases aggression in young children in the long run and is ineffective in teaching a child responsibility and self-control.
“In fact, new evidence suggests that it may cause harm to the child by affecting normal brain development. Other methods that teach children right from wrong are safer and more effective.”
It also addresses the harm associated with verbal punishment, such as shaming or humiliation.
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