Lynne Spears says her new book was “never” intended to be a parenting book. Instead, she says it’s a set-it-straight book in an interview with Meredith Vieira this morning on Today.
Referring to the last decade with daughter Britney, Lynne says: “It’s been a whirlwind. It’s been a wild ride for everybody.” And not always a happy ride. “I have sat for hours thinking and thinking about everything that happened.” She says Brit’s rise to fame - “17 paparazzi assigned to her 24/7″ - was added to “heartache” and the result: “… the mixture’s just not healthy.”
So, does she blame herself? Yes, “The personality I am - it’s always my fault,” but she adds that “Britney pushed me.”
Lynne was a preschool teacher in Louisiana and little Brit wanted to sing and dance, so off they went to New York. “I tried to be with Britney as much as I could but when she was 15, 16 years old. I had to stay home ‘cuz Jamie was in school. Another misconception was I was always with Britney, but I wasn’t.”
When asked whether she should have tried to be with her, Lynne said, “You can say shoulda, woulda, coulda. … Did I want to be there? Of course. But was it feasible?”
As for Brit’s famous meltdown? “It was so crazy at that time. … We were just trying to do what we could do at that moment at that time. We were praying very hard. We had no control over what was happening. We were making phone calls, we were trying to get through. … I said, if you see my behind going over the wall at The Summit (where Britney lives), it’s my last drastic measure.”
Luckily, it’s a case of all’s-well-that-ends-well for the Spears clan. She just spent the weekend with her daughters in L.A. and, “Britney’s fine. Britney is resilient.”
Lynne parting promise? “She is headed to the top once again.”
7 Comments
It’s nice that they are doing well now but she should have never let Brit get involved the Adnans and Sam Lutfis of the world. love you Brit!!
Alison, love u sweetie but Brit’s a grown woman and rich as hell. She’s not the first (or the last one) to be used and abused by bad people in this world and no one will be able to stop that. Hopefully she has learned to trust the right people. It’s hard because the world is full of bad people and sociopaths.
I think she always wanted some stardom herself and she definitley loves the lifestyle that her daughter has afforded her. Happy that they have worked things out.
sorry…a real parent doesn’t let a 4 yr old govern her life. maybe if she was a mother instead of trying to gain fame vicariously, this wouldn’t have happened.
It’s still TOO soon for Britney, to be trying to get to “the top” again. She should concentrate on herself an her family……selfish bitch wants the adulation, and everything else is secondary.
I don’t really like that comment about being “the top” again either. Lynn sounded pretty smart and understanding that her daughter needs help and then had to say that stupid comment. Sounds like the pressure is on Britney once again which is a recipe for another breakdown.
She doesn’t sound like the smartest of people- but I’m sure loves her daughters. Parenting is a very tough job sometimes you learn as you go and you may not always get it right.