Britney Spears said she was saddened to hear that her son Jayden was disappointed with how she “struggled” to love them as a mother.
“[I]It saddens me deeply to know [Jayden’s] outrage to say I didn’t live up to his expectations of a mother… and maybe one day we can meet in person and talk about this openly!!!!” Spears wrote in a long Instagram post at midnight.
Jayden Federline, 15, spoke out about his emotions towards his mother in a sit-down interview with filmmaker Daphne Barak that was teased in a Daily Mail article earlier in the day.
“I think mom has struggled to pay attention to both of us and show us equal love and I don’t think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad about that,” he began. “We’ve both endured so much pressure in the past that this is now our safe place, to work through all the emotional trauma we’ve been through, to heal our mental state.”
Jayden and his brother Sean Preston Federline, 16, have not seen their mother in months, according to their father and Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline. They also did not attend Spear’s wedding to Sam Asghari.
Speaking on behalf of himself and his older brother, Jayden spoke of the difficulty of having a mother in the spotlight all the time, but said he thinks their relationship with their mother can be resolved.
“It’s just going to take a lot of time and effort,” he said, according to Barak’s report in the Daily Mail. “I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better, I really want to see her again.”
He spoke directly to Spears and told her how much he loves her.
“I love you very much, I hope the best for you,” Jayden said in an appeal to his mother. “Maybe one day we can sit down like this and talk again.”
Spears responded lovingly to her boys, but also knocked on some of their statements and their father.
“Finally at the age of 40 without the limitations of what my family has done to me…I tell my son Jayden that every day I send you all the love in the world for the rest of my life!!!!” Spear wrote. “My love for my children knows no bounds.”
She also directly appealed to Preston in the mail and also sent her love to him.
However, Spears took particular offense at Jayden’s comment about her mental health condition and his defense of her father, Jamie Spears, who placed her in a 13-year-old conservatory.
“As for my sanity…my dear child, understand that you must learn to pick up a book and read one before you even think about my intellectual treasure!!!”
Jayden said his grandfather Jamie didn’t deserve the hate he gets.
“I love him with all my heart,” the 15-year-old said. “He was just trying to be a father.”
Spears lashed out at her son’s comments in her Instagram post.
“Psss if you can honestly sit back and say with your sane brilliant mind what memaw and paw paw did to me was fine and don’t call them bad people…then yes I failed as a mother and hopefully that’s some talk for you and your father to sit face to face and try to learn WHAT IS GOOD.”
The pop star also reprimanded the boy’s father for not having a job and “smoking weed every day” and calling him a hypocrite.
“It’s terrible to see your father being a hypocrite and saying the media is terrible, but he lets you talk about personal matters with them!!!” Spear wrote. “If you could pause for a moment, remember where you came from!!! I hope you can look in the mirror and remember… you are my child and always will be!!!!”
Spears and Federline married in October 2004 and divorced in July 2007 after having Preston and Jayden. Federline has custody of the boys.