by Scott Kolecki

Created on: November 04, 2008   Last Updated: November 19, 2008

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Britney's plunge into parenthood and the resulting effects that's had on both her and her children. The media has had a field day with it, doing their very best to catch Britney in every possible "inappropriate" parenting moment. But is Britney Spears really a threat to her children? Come on, let's get serious.

To begin, Britney Spears is a music mogul who has built a secure financial future for herself and her family through her reign as a pop star icon. Her net worth is staggering and she has the financial means to support a family in ways most parents only dream. While there is obviously no correlation between financial success and being a successful parent, one can scarcely argue that Britney, for whatever shortcomings she might possess, has not been generous with her money when it comes to her family and friends. You have heard stories circulate about the generous gifts she has bestowed upon her mother and her sister, and there is certainly no question that she has used her wealth to perpetuate the quality of life her family enjoys today.

You might still ask what this has to do with being a good parent? The answer is this-she is financially secure and she takes care of the people closest to her through that financial security. These two points alone suggest that her ability and desire to provide a quality of life for her children is in place.

Now the biggest debate surrounding Britney is the wild lifestyle she's led and the effects it's likely to have on her children. There have been accusations of problems with alcohol and drugs, and there is certainly no shortage of video suggesting that her lifestyle is a little more, shall we say "exotic" than most of us are used to. Even so, we must look at the burdens placed on a person in Britney's position. On a daily basis, her life is exposed to endless invasions of privacy, stemming from media, fans and critics alike. To be under such an incredibly focused microscope all the time has to be impossibly difficult to endure, and so there is little wonder that her life might seem as though it is skewed by society's standards as a whole. This does not justify the actions, but it certainly gives reason to be a little more empathetic to why an individual might fall into a lifestyle such as hers.

But there is another side to this same issue. Her life is so constantly monitored that every infraction, every mistake, every "dangerous" behavior is captured, reported and distributed

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