Kelly Clarkson is facing backlash on social media after revealing she spanks her 3-year-old daughter River.
“I don’t mean hitting her hard,” the three-time Grammy winner said in a recent radio interview with 98.9 The Buzz in Rochester, New York. “I mean just a spanking.”
Clarkson, 35, explained that her parents used physical punishment when she was growing up in Texas. “I’m from the South, ‘ya’ll, so we get spankings,” she said. “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.”
The singer, who also shares son Remy, 21 months, with her husband, Brandon Blackstock, added that she warns River before a spanking. “I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on the 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.”
But many people don’t agree with Clarkson’s methods and they made that clear on Facebook. “Wish she would do some research making public ignorant comments. Spanking teaches violence,” wrote one person. Added another: “I never spanked my kids. I think it’s lazy parenting.” A third echoed the sentiment calling it “a bulls–t lazy way to parent.”
Meanwhile, others applauded Clarkson for her choice. As one mom wrote: “Good for her! Glad there are still parents out there that set limits for their kids and give consequences when needed. There is a difference between abuse and punishing out of love not anger. Spanking in a controlled manner and with loving correction can be a very good thing.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that caretakers “do not spank or use physical punishments” when disciplining children as “that only teaches aggressive behavior, and it becomes ineffective if used often.” Instead the APP suggests, disciplining young children with time outs and older children by “temporarily removing favorite privileges.”
