Kelly Clarkson Talks Happiness

Kelly Clarkson is on the cover of December's Good Housekeeping. Here are some highlights from her interview:

You have a lot going on — how would you rate your happiness level?
Kelly Clarkson: "I'm so happy. The fact that I've managed to find a husband who understands and respects everything I do is astonishing. The fact that I have these four beautiful kids [River Rose, 2; Remington, 7 months; and stepchildren Savannah, 15, and Seth, 10] … I just lucked out. I'm waiting for the floor to drop out from under me."

GH: You said it was tough dealing with fame at one point. Why?
KC: "I was in a very dark place for a long time. It's just so hard to have normalcy. I love to sing, and I love to talk to people at meet-and-greets. It's just all the crap that comes along with this job … I don't love traveling, because I'm never home. It's hard when you have a family."

GH: How does your fame affect how you're raising your family?
KC: "I was a poor kid, and my mom was a single mother of three. My kids are obviously growing up very privileged, but I want them to have a servant's heart. We do community service as a family, and I also call them out on things like getting impatient when they stand in line — because they hardly ever have to. But that's just the reality of what they were born into."

GH: Have you ever thought of not doing this anymore, of giving it up?
KC: "Oh, all the time. I mean, I'm always going to be a singer, but the level I'm at … I have constant guilt. I don't have to work; I think it's because I have that option that I feel the guilt. But it's important for my girls, especially, to see me as a woman accomplishing all these things while nailing it as a mom. I always come back to that."

GH: What's the upside of your fame?
KC: "It's amazing to impact people's lives — it's a cool thing to have the spotlight and be able to reassure people, to say, "It's OK to be you." I feel like you can be the best role model by being yourself. The fact that I get to do what I love and 14 years in, I'm still doing it — I don't know how anything could get better."