Britney: 'I'm Not Perfect. I'm Human'

Spears Addresses Criticism Of Her Parenting In TV Interview

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NEW YORK, June 16, 2006 | by Amy Bonawitz

(CBS)  In an interview airing last night on "Dateline NBC," Britney Spears spoke with Matt Lauer about paparazzi and addressed reports that her marriage to aspiring rapper Kevin Federline is on the rocks.

During the interview, which took place at Spears' home, the pregnant singer cried when Lauer asked her what she would say to the paparazzi who hound her constantly.

"I would just say, 'You have babies at home, and you have a wife, and if you don't, you have to realize that we're people and we just need privacy and we need our respect and these are just things you have to have as a human being.' "

Spears' parenting skills came into question in recent months when photos showed her driving on the Pacific Coast Highway with her 9-month-old son, Sean Preston, in her lap. When Lauer asked her about the incident she said it was only for a few minutes and chalked it up to her rural roots. "I did it with my dad ... We're country."

Photos also surfaced of the singer almost dropping the baby when she tripped past a group of paparazzi in New York.

"Accidents happen!" she told Lauer of that incident. "There will be an 'Oops number 100.' There'll be plenty more oopses. I'm not perfect. I'm human."

Lauer asked her if she cried about all of the attention paid to her parenting. "Oh, I've wept, yeah," she said. "I've definitely wept, with the world — how judgmental they are. But I know what kind of mom I am."

Spears, whose second child is due in September, told Lauer that she's an emotional wreck. "Not in a bad way," she said. "Just, you know, I'll start laughing hysterically, and then I'll just start crying. It's my hormones, so it's nice to have my husband there to keep me company."

In the interview, Lauer showed Spears some magazine covers that screamed tabloid headlines like "Brit's New Man." To which Spears responded, "Oh, no. That's my security guard."

Perry Easton, 28, was hired by the singer recently. Supermarket tabloids have dubbed him a "manny" short for male nanny.

Lauer showed her other magazines that claim there's trouble in Britney's paradise, like " 'The Final Days,' fed up with Kevin's lies, he's sleeping in the basement."

Spears responded: "You know what? I need to create my own magazine. These people … I mean they want stories to sell and they're very good ... I need to come up with my own magazine and say the real deal."

By Amy Bonawitz
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