Note: we are republishing this story, which originally made the news in January 2018.
Singer Kelly Clarkson was accused of child abuse after she admitted in an interview to spanking her children.
In an interview with Today, Clarkson, a mother of four, opened up about parenting and said that she is “not above” spanking her children if they misbehave, a practice she said people “aren’t necessarily into.”
The “American Idol” winner clarified, however, when discussing spanking her 3-year-old daughter: “And I don’t mean like hitting her hard, I just mean a spanking.”
“I warn her,” the mother said. “I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on your bottom if you don’t stop right now — like this is ridiculous.”
Clarkson defended her choice to spank her daughter, saying that she was disciplined in the same way as a child.
Photo Credit: Kelly Clarkson/Instagram via CafeMom
“My parents spanked me, I did fine in life and I feel fine about it,” she said.
Clarkson later added, “So that’s a tricky thing when you’re out in public, ’cause then people are like, you know, they think that’s wrong or something. But I find nothing wrong with a spanking … I’m from the South, y’all, so we get spankings. My mom would call the principal if I ever ended up in the principal’s office and give permission for her to spank me … I’m a well-rounded individual with a lot of character, so I think it’s fine.”
According to CafeMom, a number of readers shared their thoughts on Clarkson’s admission, with some disagreeing that spanking is necessary.
“I’m a Single mom with 3 boys,” one reader commented. “I never spanked my children because I taught them to be respectful. They’re all teenagers now. A/B students, athletes, and very respectful responsible people. Hitting a child doesn’t teach them anything other than it’s ok to hit when you’re angry or frustrated.”
Photo Credit: Kelly Clarkson/Instagram via CafeMom
“Spanking lets children think it’s ok to hit!!” another Facebook user shared. “When they go to school it’s my experience working 30 years with children they hit to solve problems. It’s hard to teach children another way once this has been the practice.”
While some accused the Grammy Award-winning singer of child abuse after she admitted to spanking her children, others shared their support for Clarkson’s parental practices.
“Good for her, parents today do not discipline their kinds and that’s why there are a bunch of entitled brats running around the world who think they can get away with anything,” another reader wrote. “There is a line between discipline and abuse and she certainly knows the difference; that’s another problem that has developed in society.”
