Kelly Clarkson appeared on Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast this week to discuss an array of topics — one of which being the struggle that comes with attending her kids’ school events.

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If you didn’t know, Kelly shares two young children — River Rose, 10, and Remington Alexander, 8 — with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
Speaking to Kylie, who is also a mom, Kelly ranted about how difficult it is to attend her kids’ school events that take place during the working week. “I don’t know when the school systems thought it would be a good plan for families and their emotional stability to start having performances at 10 a.m. during the week,” she said. “This just in: A lot of us work!”

Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce / Via youtube.com
Kylie shares three daughters with her husband, Jason Kelce: Wyatt, Elliotte, and Bennett, who are 5, 4, and 2, respectively. She is currently pregnant with her fourth child.
“And surprising you with it! Not giving you an advance, so you can at least tell your work, ‘Hey, I’m gonna need this morning off,’” Kelly said before adding, “A lot of jobs wouldn’t let you do that anyway.”
Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce / Via youtube.com
“Our kids don’t understand, and we just look like assholes when we’re not there,” Kelly said. “Then they go, ‘Why was this mom there?’ And then you have to say, ‘Because that kid got a better mom,’” she joked.
Instagram: @nglwithkylie
Kelly’s comments have since sparked a huge divide on social media, with several teachers and other parents weighing in to share their thoughts.
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Notably, many teachers pointed out that asking schools to host these types of events outside of school hours means extra, unpaid work for teachers — who are already massively underpaid. “Former teacher and now a mom, I 100% understand this and where parents come from. However, as a former teacher, no teacher wants to have to stay after school when they’re not getting paid for it to host a kids performance. If schools would pay teachers better then this wouldn’t be a problem,” one Instagram comment read.
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“So…the teachers are paid contract hours. And while they love your children, they don’t want to work for free. That’s what asking them to do evening work is,” someone wrote. “Music teacher here. I don’t get paid to be at school at night. Our performances are at 1:30 pm. If they want them at night then they better pay me more,” another user said.
@nglwithkylie / Via instagram.com
“As a teacher and a mom… Just take the time off, girl! Teachers shouldn’t have to stay after work unpaid any more than you have to take off,” one comment read.
“Totally agree with this because what a bummer for you and your kids! However, as a former teacher, I wonder if schools do this so teachers aren’t asked to work overtime (although most already do, due to the overwhelming amount of work they are constantly trying to get on top of). It’s not fair to ask teachers to do more than they already are, outside of their paid hours unless they’re going to be paid for it. If teachers were paid more, I’m sure it’d be easier to ask them to work extra hours,” someone said.
“Maybe it’s because teachers don’t get paid for working outside their contract hours,” one more tweet read.
Meanwhile, more teachers noted that events are typically hosted during school hours to ensure that all students can attend. One person said, “I completely agree from a parent perspective, but from a teacher— schools started having day performances so that every kid could participate and no one would be left out because they can’t get a ride to the performance. A day performance ensures that all kids can participate and takes a little bit of the load off of a teacher.”
@nglwithkylie / Via instagram.com
Another echoed, “Night performances exclude students who cannot come.”
However, on the other hand, several internet users — namely working parents — praised Kelly’s remarks. One person said, “From one working mom to another…PREACH!!!” while another added, “As a working mom, yes!”
@nglwithkylie / Via instagram.com
“Everything about the school schedule doesn’t really accommodate working parents. And then when they can’t attend things or align with traditional pick-up times, they are seen as a ‘bad parent.’ And then if you choose to stay at home to avoid those obstacles, you’re seen as lazy and not career-motivated. So fun being a mom!” someone wrote, while one more user simply added: “Spot on!!!!”