Kelly Stafford’s Daughters Take Etiquette Class Following Behavioral Challenges

After a year filled with ups and downs in managing her daughters’ feelings, Kelly Stafford celebrated a positive milestone.

Kelly, the spouse of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, shared that three of her four daughters participated in cotillion on Thursday, November 13.

Cotillion classes, named after an 18th-century dance, are designed to impart proper etiquette and manners to middle school-aged children.

Kelly, 36, posted a photo of her three eldest daughters in elegant dresses along with Matthew, 37, on Instagram, captioning it: “Cotillion ❤️.”

Matthew and Kelly, who met at the University of Georgia, are parents to four daughters: twins Sawyer and Chandler, 8, Hunter, 7, and Tyler, 5.

Kelly has discussed her daughters’ behavioral challenges on her podcast, “The Morning After,” which have become more prominent in recent months.

In March, Kelly announced that she had to cancel her twins’ 8th birthday celebration unexpectedly.

“This has been an ongoing situation for the last few months, where attitudes have been problematic,” Kelly mentioned on the podcast. “I’m finding it tough to parent right now. I tend to be the enforcer. I probably come off as the strict one. Matthew has also stepped up. We tried the ‘good cop, bad cop’ approach, but it clearly isn’t effective, as nothing has improved.”

She added, “We told them, ‘The birthday party is off because we cannot genuinely celebrate you right now due to your behavior. We love you, but we don’t think you deserve a celebration.’ That was truly how Matthew and I felt.”

However, Kelly later changed her mind, sharing images from Sawyer and Chandler’s Paris-themed party on Instagram.

In August, Kelly expressed her emotions regarding her youngest daughter, Tyler. (Given her age, Tyler did not participate in cotillion with her sisters.)

“One of my daughters has been someone I’ve struggled with considerably,” Kelly stated. “Matthew feels the same. She has changed into a little girl I hardly recognize.”

She continued, “Nothing seems to be working. I’m drained. I’ve told her, ‘It’s not fair to your sisters that all of my energy is directed towards you because of your behavior. Are you seeking attention? Do you need more from me?’”

Before their etiquette classes, Kelly shared another significant update regarding her daughters, announcing in September that they would “hopefully” be attending a prestigious Christian school next year.

“I’m excited for many reasons,” Kelly stated on her podcast. “One of them being, especially living in California, or anywhere in the world these days, everything feels so volatile and could change at any moment.”

She added, “It’s important to instill Christian values in them daily so they have something to rely on when times get tough.”

Kelly told her sister, Jenny, that enrolling her daughters in a Christian school will reflect “how we were raised.”