Psychologist Highlights Path Britney Spears Can Take To Repair Relationship With Her Sons - Exclusive

After a judge terminated Britney Spears' conservatorship in November 2021, many good moments for the star since followed, including her wedding to Sam Asghari. However, there has also been escalating family friction with her two teenage sons.

It all began in August, when the superstar's ex-Kevin Federline talked to the media, claiming their boys — Sean Preston and Jayden James — were reluctant to see their mother due to her controversial posts on social media. In turn, Spears complained publicly about Sean and Jayden supposedly being "hateful" toward her, which resulted in plenty of back-and-forth between both camps. Cut to September, when Federline dialed the family drama up with his appearance on "60 Minutes Australia," complete with cameos from Sean and Jayden. "We've both been through so much pressure in the past that this is our safe place now, to process all the emotional trauma we've been through to heal, heal our mental state," Jayden said about the strained relationship with his mother. He also suggested Spears took out her frustrations on Sean, which pained Jayden. Seemingly responding to the interview, Spears — in an audio recording, per CBS News — seemed to suggested money issues were at play. "Is the reasoning behind you guys deciding to be hateful is because it's actually over in two years and you don't get anything?" she said.

The recording concerned fans who want to see Spears happy with her sons, so with that in mind, Nicki Swift chatted with a doctor of psychology exclusively about how the singer can potentially repair the relationship with her sons.

Deena Manion PsyD, LCSW and Chief Clinical Officer of Westwind Recovery spoke to Nicki Swift exclusively about how Britney Spears' relationship with her sons can heal. "Between divorce and reports of alleged substance use, mental health issues, and simply being in the public eye can be the cause of a lot of the issues the family and Britney are struggling with," Manion explained, noting that these issues were "bound to have taken a toll on the kids growing up." (In 2007, People reported a judge ruled Spears was a "habitual, frequent and a continuous user of controlled substances and alcohol." But as more is known about the conservatorship, some might question these past allegations.) 

"It is hard to know what goes on behind closed doors in any family," Manion noted, adding that therapy is probably necessary. "Family therapy is indicated to work on ruptures in the relationship, allow the boys a safe space to voice their issues, and have the parents co-parent." In addition, Manion indicated Kevin Federline "should not be bad-mouthing the mother of his kids in the public sphere." She added, "Kevin and Britney both need to come to the table" to figure out their roles. Manion mentioned a parenting coach could help them, and that Spears posting "bizarre videos on social media" isn't helping the situation.

All in all, it sounds like Spears and Federline will have to work together to heal their family.