Britney Spears has opened up about how difficult she found the media speculation about her parenting skills as a first-time mum during the height of her fame in the noughties. Posting on Instagram, that singer told followers that she is considering starting a podcast during her new pregnancy to through her whirlwind of emotions becoming a mother once more at 40.
‘My thought this morning was “Will I be thoughtful enough? Will I be instinctive enough?”’ Britney wrote. ‘God knows I was no saint but the media destroyed me when I first became a mother. My first record came out when I was 16 and I got pregnant at 24… I was a baby raising two babies with 17 cars outside my house. I didn’t know how to play the game.’
Going on to detail one example of when she used her maternal instinct with her first son Jayden, Britney shared a story of the first time he had a high fever and she chose to stay home with him instead of calling a doctor. After the fever broke in the morning, she knew she’d done the right thing and recalled how important instinct can be as a parent. However, the media portrayal of her as a terrible mother made her question herself.
‘I do know from the outside and by what was said in the news that people were like “WTF is going on with her??”’ Britney said of the media attention. ‘The media has always been EXTREMELY rude to me… so I woke up this morning saying to myself “Do I need to do a podcast during this pregnancy instead of therapy? Is my instinct just as it was when I helped Jayden?... And then I thought “It’s going to be ok! Just be me and stop trying so hard!”’
Her honesty has since been well-received by fans, especially those keen for the star to start a podcast. But that vulnerability serves as a reminder that we still know so little about how the media takedown of Britney prior to her conservatorship affected her. Clearly, it’s impacted her confidence and self-image, so much so she’s forced to question her own parenting abilities. Hopefully, this third time around, Britney will be able to raise her children in peace with a more empathetic, kind public reaction… she certainly deserves it!
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