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By Kat Giantis
Special to MSN Entertainment
With the release of "Circus" nearly upon us, the Britney Spears publicity machine has cranked into overdrive.
After a Thanksgiving holiday spent gyrating to "Womanizer" in England, France and Germany, not to mention the debut of her MTV documentary (her best line in the responsibility-deflecting special came in response to why she buzzed her noggin: "People shave their heads all the time, you know?"), the road to recovery-walking popster is flashing her pearly whites on the cover of Glamour -- and taking another seeming swipe at Kevin Federline.
(©Glamour) More photos of Britney in
Glamour |
On the heels of her sit-down with Rolling Stone, in which she accused her ex-husband of teaching sons Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2, bad words, Brit hints to the fashion mag that the tots are in need of a strong paternal presence.
"In five years I would like to be married and have a father figure for my kids, someone who is a provider and can be really stable," she says. "It's hard doing it on your own."
Of course, these days Spears isn't doing anything on her own, not even making the most mundane of life decisions: Her father remains in control of her affairs and Federline has full custody of the kids.
And while K-Fed may not be bringing home much non-Britney-provided bacon, he has given the tykes a stable environment, something their mother was unable to do during her police standoff in January and the two psych ward visits that followed.
Britney spends a bit of time talking to the mag about her offspring, including the one thing she hopes they'll always remember she told them ("That I love them unconditionally") and the daily routine during their visits.
"I fix breakfast for my kids when they're here," she says. "And then we'll go for walks. During the day I spend most of the time with my children. At night is when I go to work."
There's a toddler wrangler on hand, although Spears points out that she commands more respect than the hired help.
"We have a nanny in the house, but there are always times when one of my kids does something bad or wrong and they'll listen to me more than they do the nanny," she explains. "So I think it's important to set up that boundary of respect for them at a young age, so they will know, 'I better listen to Mommy.'"
Britney performs at the
Bambi Awards in Germany on Nov. 27. (©AP) |
As for the example she's setting, Brit figures, "Hopefully they will respect me by the way I carry myself, and in doing that, they will know how to respect other women."
Spears also mentions how "mind-boggling" it was when her 17-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, gave birth to daughter Maddie in June, and she even shares the advice that she offered her.
"As a mother, the one thing that always goes through your head is, 'You're never enough. You never can be enough -- or do enough -- for your kids.' It's a never-ending issue for me. I had to learn: Don't beat yourself up so much...," opines Britney. "You have to take it one day at a time, do the best that you can and enjoy yourself. I notice that if there are some times I've been stressed, because I'm human and stress about things, that affects your kids. So you have to make sure you're a happy mom so they can be happy."
Stress appears to be a major issue for the once and perhaps future pop princess, who also refers to her anxiety level when asked about her New Year's resolutions.
"I would like to stop worrying so much, because I worry all the time. And to learn how to be happier, just in general. I have to learn to take things not so seriously," she reckons. "And to stop biting my nails! ... Recording this album has helped take my mind off certain things. For me, my music is therapy."
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She calls "Circus," which is being released on Dec. 2, her 27th birthday (she had an early celebration -- complete with candle-topped cake -- at London hot spot G-A-Y on Saturday night), "really personal, and I think people will feel that when they hear it. It's me talking to them, instead of just singing a song about something."
Speaking of personal, Britney believes that people have the wrong idea about her closely monitored life, which she likened to both jail and "Groundhog Day" in the MTV doc.
"I don't like going out. I hate clubs. I hate being around too many people," she insists. "I love my home and staying in bed and watching 'Dancing With the Stars' or reading a Danielle Steel novel. I'm kind of boring."
Spears admits she wasn't sure how she'd be received at September's MTV Video Music Awards, the scene of her onstage implosion the year before, when she galumphed, glassy-eyed, through "Gimme More."
"I have 'come back' so many times, people are just like, 'Is this another one?'" It's kind of like a joke to me now," she acknowledges. "This whole year has been a hell of a year for me. I have been working so hard on my album, but... I didn't know exactly where I stood with everyone.
But, "When I received the awards and [the audience] stood for me, it showed me how much love is out there," concludes Brit. "This has been a crazy year for me. I got a lot of strength from it."
