Cal Gaunt
Kelly Clarkson sparked outrage after saying she is ‘not above spanking’ her children to keep them in line if they misbehave.
The ‘Since U Been Gone’ singer, who shot to fame after winning the first-ever American Idol, made the comments in a 2018 interview.
At the time, her daughter River Rose was aged three, while her son Remington was one.
Both children are fathered by her former talent manager and husband Brandon Blackstock, who she officially divorced in 2021 citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
Listen as Kelly Clarkson discusses disciplining her children in a radio interview…
The 40-year-old told Atlanta radio station 94.1: “I’m not above a spanking, which people aren’t necessarily into.
“I don’t mean hitting her hard. I just mean a spanking.”
The former The Voice judge said her approach to parental discipline had stemmed from her experiences as a child, saying that she ‘did fine in life’ as a result.
Clarkson explained: “My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life, and I feel fine about it, and I do that as well.
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“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 then-three-year-old River Rose 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.”
The ‘Because Of You’ singer’s comments sparked outrage on Twitter, with one person saying she ‘cannot imagine’ doing the same to her own child.
“I used to love Kelly Clarkson but I read a while back that she talked publicly about spanking her one-year-old and three-year-old, and now as a parent of an almost eight-month-old…I just cannot imagine,” she wrote.
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“I mean, I can’t imagine spanking in general, but a one-year-old? Are you kidding me?”
Another person wrote: “Kelly Clarkson should’ve been cancelled when she proudly admitted that she spanks her kids.
“I for one deleted all her music from my library when she said that because spanking is child abuse.”
Others defended her parenting style, though, with one person tweeting: “All I can say is I stole candy when I was a kid, got spanked and then never did it again.”
A second said: “There’s nothing wrong with that! It’s a way of giving discipline to kids in my culture.”
In a statement on its website, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) condemned the use of spanking when disciplining children.
It read: “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.”
The statement also addresses the harm associated with verbal punishment, such as shaming or humiliation.
The AAP suggested educating parents on ‘more effective’ discipline strategies, that teach appropriate behaviour and protect the child and others from harm.
Clarkson has sold over 28 million albums and 54 million singles worldwide and also boasts 11 top 10 singles in the USA, and nine top 10 singles in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
She was the first artist in history to top each of Billboard’s pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country, and dance charts.
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