KELLY CLARKSON 36, WITH REMINGTON ALEXANDER, 2, & RIVER ROSE, 3

The Voice coach, who shares stepkids Savannah, 16, and Seth, 11, as well as River and Remy, with husband Brandon Blackstock, reflects on power and punishment.

Describe your own childhood.

My father wasn’t around. I was raised by my mom, who was a teacher. It was always paycheque to paycheque. I think poor kids are the most creative because you don’t have much around you.

What are your kids like?

River will run a company one day because there’s no way she’s going to work for anyone. She’s very ballsy, which is awesome. Remy is our sensitive soul, but he’s also like the Tasmanian devil; he destroys things. I think he’s going to be more of the athlete.

What kind of mother are you?

My husband and I are really blunt with our kids, and I’m like, “Pretty fades, character lasts.” Being a good human matters. The most beautiful thing is to see our kids be kind to each other.

You’ve caught flak for admitting that you spank your daughter.

Everybody has their own way to enforce discipline, but sometimes I run into kids that you can tell weren’t disciplined, and you’re like, “Wow, someone just needs to whoop your ass.” Where I grew up, that works.

What do you think of the effect of social media on children?

It’s vanity run amok. For our older kids, it’s not real unless it’s been validated on Instagram. We try to remind them of the important things. That’s hard to teach.