Single Mom Kelly Clarkson Feels 'Awesome' Splitting Holidays with Kids as She Gets 'Me Time' after Hard Divorce

Kelly Clarkson settled her public and messy divorce in March 2022. The singer has been adjusting to the new co-parenting life and had to spend her first Christmas without her children. As difficult as it was initially, she realized the importance of investing in her happiness.

Kelly Clarkson is famously known as the first constant to win season one of the legendary singing competition, "American Idol." After winning, Clarkson released her debut song, "A Moment like this," which became an instant hit. The teaser then led to the much-anticipated debut album "Thankful."

Clarkson was voted the winner of "American Idol" because of her powerful voice, but once she became an independent artist, fans also discovered her talent in songwriting.

In 2004, the singer released another album, "Breakaway," which cemented her as a pop artist. The album had hits like "Since you been Gone" and "Because of you," which sold over 11 million copies of the album.

Her 2004 album also earned the artist her first Grammy Award for the best pop vocal album. "Since you been Gone" was also honored for best pop vocal performance.

From there, Clarkson was on a roll; she released her third album, "My December," but this time, the singer experimented with a rock sound, and fans loved her versatility.

Besides her creativity in music, Clarkson was also loved for her personality, so when she landed her own show, "The Kelly Clarkson Show," she was adored for her vulnerability and openness about her personal life.

The End of Clarkson's Love Story

Clarkson and her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock tied the knot in 2013 after two years of dating. The talk show host was over the moon and even said her happiness ruined her creativity.

The singer and talent manager had their first child, River, in 2014, and in 2016 they welcomed their son Remington. Blackstock also has two children from his previous marriage with Melissa Ashworth, Savannah and Seth.

Clarkson opened up about parenting and said it has strengthened her and taught her to be more selfless. She also learned how to prioritize, but generally, the singer loved motherhood.

However, in 2020 at the brink of quarantine, Clarkson filed for divorce and cited inconceivable differences. The singer said she and Blackstock had already had problems, but being stuck indoors together heightened everything "to the point of no return."

After ending her marriage of seven years, Clarkson kept it real and described her life as a "dumpster," but she was grateful to have the support of her friends who had also been through a divorce. The singer said she does not know how she would have gone through it without having friends and family to lean on.

Nonetheless, it was painful because Clarkson saw a future with her ex-husband, and seeing things turn in the opposite direction did not only hurt her but the four children they shared.

Additionally, dealing with a divorce as someone in the public eye added another layer of difficulty because things got messy, especially regarding money.

Clarkson's father-in-law, who owns a talent management company, Starstruck Talent Management Group, sued the singer, claiming that she owed them commissions amounting to 5.4 million from her talk show and her time on "The Voice."

The singer had worked for Narvel Blackstock since 2007 and had already paid 1.4 million in commission, but the paperwork allegedly showed that Clarkson owed more.

That was not the end of her financial battle. Before Clarkson settled on an agreement, she was initially ordered to pay $200,000 in spousal support monthly despite the couple's prenup. The singer withstood a long and messy battle, but she was willing to do everything she could to protect her children.

Clarkson Opens up about Co-parenting

Clarkson and Blackstock's divorce was finalized in March 2022, and the singer won primary custody of her two children. A close source revealed that the singer was happy that everything was settled so she could focus on spending more time with her children and moving on with her life.

However, the talk show host was also honest about the difficulties of co-parenting; she said it was tough because she and Blackstock were in different places, but they were doing what was best for their kids.

Blackstock is a talent manager from Fort Worth, Texas, and the stepson of the well-known country singer Reba McEntire. He has managed iconic artists like Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, and his ex-wife Kelly Clarkson.

Nonetheless, Clarkson is grateful that she and her ex-husband agree on the "main things" when raising their children, but it is not easy to do when they are in two different cities.

Despite all the challenges the singer has faced, she is a hardworking and devoted mother to her daughter and son. When her daughter River, was young, Clarkson had the pleasure of bringing her on her work trips. They did the Nashville Christmas Parade in 2016, and she got to take her to various countries like England, Australia, and more.

All the traveling inspired Clarkson to write funny stories about their mother-daughter adventures, which eventually turned into a published children's book, "River Rose and the Magical Lullaby."

After welcoming her son, the singer shared an adorable picture of her two-year-old daughter holding her brother Remy and said, "The big sis love is real."

However, Clarkson found out later in Remy's development that he had a speech problem from an issue in his ear. The singer found out that her son's ear was clogged with a lot of wax, affecting his ability to vocalize his emotions.

Clarkson said it was frustrating for Remy because it set him back nine months in his speech development. But after getting the necessary help, the mother of two was happy to hear her child construct full sentences and freely communicate with the family.

There is no doubt that Clarkson would do anything for her children's happiness; in 2021, the singer took her brood on a Disney World vacation and raved about how fun the rides were.

Clarkson admitted that since becoming a mother, she has become more fearful. She constantly worries about her children's safety and is a very protective "mama bear."

In the same instance, Clarkson said she wants to be a good role model for her children and teach them how to be fearless. She values her strong-willed character and tries to pass it down to her daughter daily.

The singer had her plate full hosting her talk show and being a judge on "The Voice." So she decided to step down from judging to spend more time with her kids. "I don't want to be one of those pop star moms that don't see their kids," said Clarkson.

Finally Finding Happiness

Clarkson is spending her first holiday season divorced, but the biggest adjustment is that there are no kids. The singer admitted that Christmas was not her favorite holiday, but her family loved it, so she went with it.

She said not having her children around took a bit of adjusting. A first, she was "a mess," but then she realized that she could invest more time into some of the things she loved to do before she had kids.

The more she spent time alone, the more she loved the idea of caring for herself and eventually found happiness in her solitude.

Clarkson confessed that her divorce had given her a lot of material to write her songs, so fans are excited to hear the singer pour her heart out on the next album.