Kelly Clarkson Says She’s ‘Not Above Spanking’ Her 3-Year-Old Daughter

Kelly Clarkson is speaking out about a somewhat controversial parenting decision, admitting that she’s “not above a spanking” when her 3-year-old daughter, River Rose, misbehaves. Kelly revealed in a new interview that she gives her daughter a spanking if she’s been bad, saying that she too was often spanked as a child for bad behavior and sees nothing wrong with it.

“I’m not above a spanking, which people aren’t necessarily into,” Clarkson recently told Entercom (via Radio.com) in a new interview.

She clarified that she never hits her daughter hard and also admitted that she always warns her before that she’s going to get a spanking if she doesn’t behave.

“I warn her,” said Kelly, who is also mom to 1-year-old Remington and stepmom to husband Brandon Blackstock’s two children from his previous marriage, 16-year-old Savannah and 9-year-old Seth. “I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on your bottom if you don’t stop right now.'”

Clarkson also revealed that she too was hit as a child by her mom and believes it’s more accepted in the south, as she was born and raised in Texas.

“My parents spanked me and I did fine in life,” she continued of her decision to occasionally raise her hand to her children, adding that being spanked as a child makes her “feel fine about it” when it comes to her parenting choices.

But while Kelly says that she “feels fine” about the occasional spanking when it comes to her raising kids, the former American Idol winner confessed that she often feels a little uneasy when River Rose misbehaves in public when she’s about to smack her.

“That’s a tricky thing when you’re out in public, because then people… they think that’s wrong or something. But I find nothing wrong with a spanking,” Clarkson said during the recent radio interview.

Kelly’s latest confessions about her parenting style come shortly after she opened up about raising children, revealing last year that she’s already started teaching her daughter about bullies and how to react if she ever comes across a bully when she heads to school.

Clarkson, who’s set to join the cast of The Voice as a coach on Season 14 this February, revealed back in October that she’s teaching River to stand up for herself and also speak up for others who may not be able to defend themselves.

“I said, ‘You tell mommy if somebody does anything inappropriate. You stand up for yourself,'” the “Love So Soft” singer told People last year of the values she’s trying to teach her daughter. “You should instill that people, your children, should always stand up for themselves or speak out when something is wrong.”

The star also spoke about how important she thinks it is to start teaching children what’s important and what’s right and wrong very early on in their lives.

“You start molding people and growing to these very elevated individuals that help elevate society,” said Kelly, adding at the time that she believes “it’s a really crucial time when you have children right now.”

But it sounds like Clarkson will soon be well and truly done when it comes to raising her children, as she also revealed that she and her husband have no plans to ever have any more kids and “don’t even speak” about the possibility of welcoming another baby into the family.

“We’re both fixed in our own ways,” Kelly joked about not getting pregnant again while speaking to iHeartRadio, “those tubes are gone!”