• June 26, 2006
• Vol. 65
• No. 25

Britney: 'I Know I'm a Good Mom'

In a Tearful Interview with Matt Lauer, Britney Spears Defends Her Marriage and Parenting Skills and Blames the Paparazzi for Making Her An 'Emotional Wreck'

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From PEOPLE Magazine

The rumors have been flying for months: That he's living in the basement. That she wants a divorce. That he's just in it for the money. That she's dating her bodyguard. Well, Britney Spears wants to set the record straight: She and Kevin Federline, her husband of nearly two years, are perfectly happy, thank you very much. In a Dateline interview airing June 15, the singer, 24, told Matt Lauer that Federline, 28, is "amazing" as a husband. "He cares so much, and his heart is awesome," said Spears. "He has a really big heart, and I love that."

In fact, the couple made their first public appearance together in two months on June 11, when they went for a stroll with their 9-month-old son Sean in Malibu. "Kevin would talk to Sean and then break out into song, making up the lyrics as he went along," says a witness. "It made Britney laugh." At one point, Spears leaned in and kissed her husband on the mouth, with Sean snuggled in between them like a big baby sandwich.

Take that, paparazzi. Since February's baby-on-the-lap driving incident, Spears has also been dealt a heavy dose of negative attention regarding how she is raising her firstborn. Most recently, she tripped and nearly dropped Sean right in front of a group of photographers, who were all too happy to capture the moment on film. "I feel like I'm a target," she told Lauer. "They've crossed the line a little bit."

Her request? Back off. Spears, due with her second child in September, admits she's made her share of mistakes. But that's all part of being a new mom. When Lauer pointed out a magazine photo caption that said "Oops, No. 3," Spears responded, "There will be an 'Oops, No. 100.' There'll be plenty more oopses. I'm not perfect—I'm human."