Britney

I'm not sure if devoting my first blog to Britney Spears is the way to win followers or not, but bear with me for a few minutes because as you read-I think you will find there's more here than reflections on a pop princess. The truth is I probably don't need a blog-I have a twitter, a facebook and unlimited texting; there are plenty of opportunities for my inane opinions and obvious comments to be spread about the universe. But apparently, I feel the world needs to see "all the dirt running through my mind", (whistling...)
I was watching the VMA's the other night and found myself absolutely thrilled when Britney won for Best Pop Video (for Till the World Ends-which of course I bought as soon as I heard it on the radio). I was sort of surprised by my own reaction to be honest, as I am openly pro-Britney but am much more of a rap fan these days. (It was, after all, the rumor of a Kanye-Jay-Z performance that had kept me on the couch despite that dreadful preshow.) Yes, I have three of Britney's songs from Femme Fatale on my Ipod and  own the Singles; but I didn't expect to feel that win personally. Yet there I was cheering on the couch-
It was when I excitedly told my daughter-"guess what? Britney won! Ha,ha, take that all those people who trashed her and said she was done..." That it hit me..
  We've both seen rock bottom-or as one of my favorite authors said once, "rock bottom, then about 8 layers of s**t, then me"...we've both had a marriage fall apart and been left overwhelmed with the realities of divorce and parenthood...we've both battled the demons of depression....we've both been judged by our weight & appearance...we've both been talked about, gossiped about and given up on....we both dated Justin Timberlake (okay, not really...but you get the idea). 
I have an idea of what it's like to have your life fall apart, and I have a feeling Britney Spears does, too-but she got to watch hers over and over on television, the internet and in the tabloids. I know what it's like to make mistakes-big ones- and so does she; more importantly, it appears we both know how to recover, move on and make it work (I hope).
When my daughter was about two, Oops I Did It Again was released and I remember her watching Britney sing and dance on television one day. Oops I Did It Again became Katey's favorite song, she loved Britney even more than Disney princesses, and I worried a bit back then. I wasn't sure this was the best role model-Britney sold sex appeal long before Billy Rae had any ideas of pimping out Miley Cyrus- but now I think there are lessons to be learned from Britney and they are not all bad:
Learn to love yourself first-it's the best way to avoid a failed K-Fed marriage in your life
Don't grow up too fast- Britney became her family's cash cow at like 17, as parents its our job to raise our kids, not the other way around. Simply being in the adult world does not make you one
Do what you're good at- (Fellow pop singers listen here) You don't see Britney dragging an acoustic guitar on stage for a reason: she knows what she's good at-fun, catchy dance tunes that can cover her lack of vocal skills. When you find something that works for you-stick with it
Don't cheat on Justin Timberlake-That's just a given, he's JT for pete's sake.
 Oops, I got sidetracked again.
In the end, if my daughter looks up to Britney Spears, I can live with that. Because ultimately the lesson I want my daughter to learn in life-the one I want her to see in me and anyone else she admires-is: sometimes we fall, sometimes we fall really far and hit really hard. But we dust ourselves off, get up and are better for it. And we should always keep dancing till the world ends.