Brit gets perfect Mother's Day gift, earns more time with sons

Troubled pop star Britney Spears got a perfect Mother’s Day gift on Tuesday after the judge hearing a custody battle between the pop singer and her ex-husband Kevin Federline granted her more time with their two sons.

In the latest twist on seemingly endless saga of ‘win-loss’ custody war between Britney and her ex-hubby K-Fed, the U.S. pop singer has failed to regain custody of 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, but succeeded to win visitation rights to her kids.

The court acknowledged Brit’s effort to get her personal life back under control and therefore granted her more time with her sons during visitation.

Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said there was no change in custody, and said that her time with the boys will be "more than it has been." He said the judge had extended her visitation rights as she continues to make progress in rebuilding her life.

"We all see indicators of progress by Ms Spears," Kaplan said. "What was a seemingly daily state of extreme flux has been stabilised," he added.

The 26-year-old singing sensation Spears appeared at the court on time yesterday. Dressed in a brown polka-dot dress and cream cardigan she was accompanied by her parents. Surrounded by lawyers, Spears though smiled slightly but did not respond to questions as she left the hearing.

"We are so pleased with Britney's progress and we are very appreciative of the court's recognition of this progress," Spears' parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, said in a statement read by court spokesman Allan Parachini.

A mental health expert gave an assessment of the singer at yesterday's closed hearing. The next progress hearing is due on July 15.

While, Federline's spokesman, Elliott Mintz, told reporters that his client was pleased with yesterday's hearing, Spears attorney Stacy Philips responded with a smile and a thumbs-up sign for same question.

Britney Spears, the driving force behind the return of teen pop in the late '90s, has been engaged in child-custody battle with her former husband Kevin Federline, better known as K-Fed since she filed divorce from him, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for ending her two-year marriage to Kevin.

In her divorce petition, Britney had sought custody of the children, with visitation rights for Federline. Acting promptly, Federline counter-filed court papers the following day seeking sole custody of their boys. Both then agreed to share 50-50 custody of their two sons when their divorce was finalized in July last.

But, concerned with his ex-wife’s erratic behavior, Kevin filed for primary custody of his sons on August 8, and hoped to be awarded physical custody of his two sons. In October, a Superior Court judge ordered the falling star to hand over the physical custody of her two kids to ex-hubby.

Federline has been awarded with primary custody of the boys since January when Spears was involuntarily hospitalized after she refused to turn over one of the boys to Federline's bodyguard.