Kelly Clarkson is beloved for a reason. Not only is The Voice star a kind and thoughtful person, but she also exudes charm and an adventurous spirit that makes it impossible to dislike her. Clarkson is relatable, she’s not hungry for fame and is incredibly candid about every aspect of her life. No wonder the star has been tapped to host her own daytime talk show and will get to flex those muscles when she hosts her second Billboard Music Awards later this month. Whether it’s nipping ridiculous tabloid rumors right in the bud, or pouring her heart out through song, the powerhouse singer is the master of her own narrative.
That sort of frankness also translates to her experience with all things motherhood, often with hilarious results. Clarkson, who has two kids with husband Brandon Blackstock — River Rose, 4, and Remington “Remy” Alexander, 3 — is also stepmom to teens Seth and Savannah from Blackstock’s previous marriage. From hating her pregnancy experience, the delicate dance of navigating work and parenting, to dealing with schoolyard bullies, Clarkson is a mom after our own heart.
With her open-hearted spirit in mind, we’ve compiled Clarkson’s absolute best quotes about motherhood in honor of her 38th birthday. So grab your drink of choice and dive into Clarkson’s good, bad, and the absolutely comical truths about #momlife.
A version of this story was originally published in April 2019.
“The amount of shit that you get done, you’re so impressed with yourself!”
“I’ve always been a confident girl, I’ve always felt sexy and intelligent. But after becoming a mother, the amount of shit that you get done, you’re so impressed with yourself! It’s the most empowering feeling, because it makes you want to worry about the pettiness and trivial things a lot less.”
“I try not to compliment our boys or our girls so much on aesthetics.”
Clarkson has been open about how carefully she communicated with all her kids about “aesthetics”: “I try not to compliment our boys or our girls so much on aesthetics. If they look handsome or beautiful, obviously we’ll say that, but I’m really adamant about everyone around us always saying like, ‘God, you’re clever. You’re smart. You’re witty, you’re funny … all the other things that make character.”
“Kids teach you to be a better human.”
The American Idol winner understands that children learn by example: “[Kids] are challenging. Wine is necessary. They’re great though. Out of the mouths of babes. They say stuff where you’re like ‘Damn.’ They call you out. I know it sounds silly but kids teach you to be a better human. They’re watching every moment, not only me at home but me sitting here with y’all.”
“‘She was so successful as a mother and as a wife.’”
Clarkson has been open about the legacy she wants to leave behind: “I’ve accomplished a lot, but I guess the biggest success I want is that whenever I die, people will say, ‘She was so successful as a mother and as a wife.’ That’s kind of a big goal.”
“[Pregnancy] was literally the worst moments of my life.”
The star always jokes about just how difficult an experience pregnancy was for her: “Anytime I see someone pregnant, I just pray for them. [Pregnancy] was literally the worst moments of my life. I’m not kidding — I wish I were that girl that [had good memories of pregnancy]. But no. Nope. Don’t miss it. It’s as if someone was in an accident — they’re pregnant, I’m like, ‘Oh my God.'”
“I’m a mother and a wife and have this whole other thing going on.”
It’s okay if your priorities and goals change with time: “I love what I do, but I feel like I relied on my career a lot for my self-worth. And now I’m more than that. I’m a mother and a wife and have this whole other thing going on.”
“I’m going to teach my kids to do what they love.”
Clarkson is adament about teaching her kids all about personal agency: “I hope with our two boys and our two girls that they see their parents as successful, loving and respectful people ‘cause that’s what we want for them. I’m going to teach my kids to do what they love, regardless if they’re the most famous person doing it. Love what you do. Love who you work with and don’t work with people you don’t and don’t do things you don’t love.”
“I just hope she finds love.”
Love and happiness above all: “Here’s what I hope for [River]: I just hope she finds love. It took me a while, man. And there was a lot of heartache throughout those years. You know, as long as she’s happy, I don’t care either way, and neither does my husband. And we have two other kids as well, and we don’t care either way for all of them.”
“Having children has brought fear to my life.”
Clarkson, a self-professed Mama Bear, gets real about the fear that comes with parenthood: “Literally, having children has brought fear to my life. That sounds horrible, I know, but before kids I was fearless. Now I go to bed and I have nightmares of someone just grabbing my little girl and running. It’s always about me not being able to protect my kids somehow. I’m a mama bear.”
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