People aren’t too happy with Kelly Clarkson right now. The mum-of-two recently admitted during a new radio interview that she spanks her three-year-old daughter, River Rose, because she herself was spanked as a child.
“I’m not above a spanking, which people aren’t necessarily into. I don’t mean hitting her hard,” she said. “I mean just a spanking.”
Kelly attributed her parenting tactics to where she was raised.
“I’m from the South, ya’ll, so we get spankings,” the three-time Grammy winner continued.
“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 “Piece by Piece” singer went further in depth about how she goes about spanking River, explaining that she gives her a warning before she does the actual punishing. “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.”
Of course, people had their own opinions about the punishment, taking to Facebook to voice their concerns. “Wish she would do some research making public ignorant comments. Spanking teaches violence,” one commenter said.
“I never spanked my kids. I think it’s lazy parenting,” another wrote.
According to the the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is actually not recommended to discipline children by spanking.
“If you feel discipline is necessary, the AAP recommends that you do not spank or use other physical punishments,” the organisation’s website states. “That only teaches aggressive behavior and becomes ineffective if used often. Instead, use appropriate timeouts for young children. Discipline older children by temporarily removing favourite privileges, such as sports activities or playing with friends.”
Kelly also has a son, 21-month-old Remington. She shares her two kids with husband Brandon Blackstock, who she married back in October 2013.
This post originally appeared on our sister site, Closer Weekly
