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Giving up your children after a messy two-year battle with your ex is no easy task, but shows a level of maturity from Brit that we haven’t seen in a long time. Could this mean the pop princess is finally thinking rationally? Brit has been flying solo for the past few days and it seems being in full control of her own affairs without dad Jamie’s help for the first time in months, has proved just how much she has grown.
Federline delighted
Ex-husband Kevin Federline says he is ‘absolutely delighted’ that she finally agreed to give him sole custody of their two tots Sean Preston and Jayden James. Kevin’s lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan says Britney’s decision to let go was a big surprise, “Nobody could have anticipated the terms of the events that occurred. This was a two-year journey that will be halted at some point that is good for these children.”
Who can ever forget Brit being hospitalised after refusing to let go of the children for two hours, on national TV? It must’ve been a really painful process for her to understand that she had to let go and her ultimate decision points to some serious mind shifts.
Resident heat psychologist Dr Eddy Wolf says it doesn’t matter what kind of mother you are, your children are always your priority. “For Britney to admit that she can’t be the type of mother she wants to be right now is going against her own instinct. She is sacrificing her own needs for that of her children.”
Custody battle damaging the kids
Friends say Brit has come to realise that her children are happy and stable right now and the fight to have them was actually damaging them.
“It broke her heart because she knew it was the right decision, but she had to make it,” says a close friend. Another friend says that Britney also realises that she is still getting better. “She knows that she can’t provide the support that K-Fed can at the moment.”
Dr Eddie says Britney has become an adult through her children. “For the first time ever, Britney is putting herself and her own needs and wants second. And look how great she looks. It was the right decision. A hard decision, but the right one.” The good news is the contract is not set in stone. Kevin’s lawyer has confirmed that Britney can petition to change the current agreement at any time. So, should she feel she is able to look after the children she can try and do this?
Friends say that while Britney is focusing her energy on her comeback, she is also slowly pushing for more time with the children. “She currently has two days and one overnight sleep, but by the end of the year Brit wants unlimited access to her boys,” reveals a source.
What a tough choice. At 27, Brit doesn’t have much time left to get her fame back. But giving up your children must’ve surely been the toughest decision Brit has ever had to make. And while we feel incredibly heart-sore for the boys and her, we think it was the right move…for now. Perhaps the perfect antidote for the troubled star to bring the true Britney back.
(This is an edited extract of a feature by Jessica Levitt, published in Heat magazine, August 2008. Get more fascinating views and interviews in the latest issue of Heat, on sale now.)
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