Kelly Clarkson Accused Of Child Abuse For The Way She Feeds Her Daughter

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Kelly Clarkson Accused Of Child Abuse For The Way She Feeds Her Daughter

CBS / Instagram

Being a celebrity is tough as it is, but having people from around the world pry into every aspect of your private life must be infuriating - especially if you know you're doing nothing wrong.

As wonderful as Kelly Clarkson is, she tends to get a lot of hate for whatever she does.

First there was the persistent struggle of silencing weight-shamers.

Last year, the American Idol winner opened up about how her mental health struggles resulted in her weight loss. She felt "miserable," and the only way she came out of her depression was to quit exercising.  

"If you gauge your life on what other people think, you're going to be in a constant state of panic trying to please everyone," she told Redbook.

"People should just concentrate on their own lives and their own health and their own happiness, and whatever that looks like for you, be happy with it," Clarkson added.

It seems like weight-shamers aren't to be too much of a worry for the three time Grammy winner, but comments about how she raises her kids is.

Instagram

Clarkson posted a video of her eldest daughter, River Rose, trying Nutella for the first time on Instagram, and it's got a lot of people talking.

In the clip, the mother of two asks her young daughter, "River, do you like Nutella?"

Of course, the toddler wiggles in her seat and smiles up at Clarkson. I mean, who wouldn't do that, the chocolate spread is undeniably delicious!

Unfortunately, many moms didn't share the same sentiment, and some have gone so far as to calling this "child abuse."

The brief video has been viewed more than three million and liked more than 50,000 times. But some of the hundreds of comments are not so uplifting.

Is This Child Abuse?

"Stop trying to make your daughter as fat as you. That's child abuse. You should be ashamed," wrote one user.

"There's way too much sugar in that. I wouldn't give that to my kid. Too young."

"Nutella is PACKED with sugars," wrote another. "Don't make your kid blow up."

"Stop eating Nutella, it's been confirmed to cause cancer."

These statements about Nutella are not entirely false. A consumer group discovered that Nutella contains approximately 50% sugar and 32% fat (most of which is palm oil).

That being said, giving your child Nutella once isn't going to harm them, and in no way should that make you a bad mother.

Some parents were quick to jump to Clarkson's defense, pointing out how every mother has given sugar to their children at some point in time.

"Like you people never give cake for [a] birthday?" wrote one user.

"When my kids were at the age where i was happy to start giving them some chocolate i started with Nutella."

"I can't believe people are saying this is child abuse," added another. "EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD gives you cancer nowadays, fries give you cancer, chips give you cancer, donuts give you cancer, milk gives you cancer! There are so many problems in the world right now and you people are focusing on a mother giving a child Nutella omg wow! That's America for you!"

This isn't the first time the singer has sparked a parenting debate. Her opinion on spanking has also gotten her in hot water...

The Spanking Debate

Every parent in the world has a different view on spanking. No one can agree on whether it's a good idea to spank your children or how and how often it should be done.

In an interview with Radio.com, Clarkson opened up about how she disciplines her children and that she's definitely pro-spanking.

"I'm not above a spanking, which people aren't necessarily into and I don't mean like hitting her hard, I just mean a spanking," Clarkson said. "My parents spanked me and I did fine in life and I feel fine about it. But I do that as well too."

Clarkson said a light spank has helped to keep her daughter in line when she has temper tantrums in public.

"I warn her, I'm like, 'Hi, I'm going to spank you on your bottom if you don't stop right now. Like, this is ridiculous.'"

"I'm from the South, y'all," she continued, "so like we get spankings. My mom would call the principal like if I ever ended up in the principal's office and give permission for her to spank me."

You can just imagine how much hate she got for her opinions on spanking.

Many parents were quick to cite studies that show how ineffective spanking is to teach children good behavior, while others, like Clarkson, said spanking was just part of their childhood, and this form of discipline hasn't negatively impacted them in any way.

According to the American Psychological Association, studies have shown that "hitting and other means of causing pain can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental problems for children."

Then there's other studies arguing that spanking can have positive long-term outcomes if it's in a positive family setting.

What's your opinion on Kelly Clarkson's parenting tactics? Is it right to call her a "child abuser?"

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.