It was an unforgettable birthday Britney Spears. On December 2nd – the same day their divorce Sam Asghari was complete – the pop star rang in ’43 with a trip to Mexico. In an Instagram post from her vacation, she shot a video of a “very, very cute” little strawberry cake that a friend had given her; in another, she wrote: “I am so blessed!”

Spears has had a lot to celebrate lately, especially her recent reunion with her younger son Jayden, 18 (the “Toxic” singer and ex-husband Kevin Federline Also share Preston, 19.) The mother-son duo became estranged in the summer of 2022, and Jayden and Preston moved to Hawaii with Federline the following year. Sources say Spears is overjoyed to reconnect with Jayden as she continues to work on her relationship with Preston and her mother. Lynne. (Mother and daughter reunited for the singer’s birthday last year, and Lynne, 69, wished her a happy birthday on Facebook on December 2.) Overall, Spears appears to be on the upswing. A source tells Us weekly in the latest cover story: “In many ways, Britney seems much happier than she was last year.”

olive branch

According to a second source, Jayden made contact in November. “He is open to improving his relationship with his mother and seeing where things go from here. Britney was very excited to hear from him; (It) means everything to her.” A third source says Us Jayden plans to go to school in California and is staying with Spears. “They get along well,” the source says, noting that things have started to improve with Preston, too. “Britney is confident they will have a blossoming relationship in the near future. That’s all she ever talks about,” the second source adds. “She would be happy to have a second chance with them.”

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News of their estrangement made headlines after Preston and Jayden refused to attend her wedding to Asghari in June 2022. Jayden opened up about their strained relationship in an interview in September ITVin which he said he wanted her to “get better mentally” and called her out for her overzealous social media presence. “It’s almost like she has to post something on Instagram to get attention,” he said, adding: “This has been going on for many years. There’s a good chance this will never really end.” In response, Spears hit back in a later-deleted Instagram post, saying, “It deeply saddens me to know that I did not live up to his expectations of a mother.” And suggested Jayden “pick up a book and read one” before talking about her mental health.

In June of this year they seemed to have better conditions. Federline’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told the outlets that the boys called their mom for Mother’s Day, adding, “The call was a good sign and a step in the right direction.” Now it’s in the works. The second source says: “It will take some time. Britney hopes to continue spending time with Jayden and that Preston will come over. She cares deeply about her sons.”

Family ties

It’s not the only reunion she’s thinking about. The second source says that Spears also hopes to continue fixing things with her mother. “Things with Lynne have been difficult (lately), but Britney wants to improve (their relationship),” the source says, noting that Spears is particularly worried before the holidays. “She misses them and is sad about the dynamic of her family.” Spears remains close with her brother Bryan (47). “Britney talks to him a lot,” says the second source. Spears and her father, Jamie, ended their legal battle in April over claims he abused his authority as a conservator by paying himself $6 million. They have reportedly not spoken since their 13-year conservatorship ended at the end of 2021, but a fourth source says Jamie, 72, has still reached out to her: “He’s not bitter about how they ended things .” Last June, Spears said via Instagram that she visited her sister Jamie Lynn, 33, on set, a source said Us that they hoped for a new beginning.

friends and lovers

She has a small circle of friends at home in Los Angeles. “Britney is close to her hairdresser and her assistant, but I don’t see her hanging out with anyone else every day,” says the first source. “She (can be) anywhere and very hot and cold – (she’s either) happy or crying over a paparazzi photo.” In a Dec. 3 post, Spears slammed the critics, saying they are always “incredibly cruel.” hers and she moved to Mexico; In a video shared three days later, she told fans that she was house hunting there. “She wants to leave Los Angeles because she hates having dads take photos of her,” the source says. “It’s a great source of tension in their lives.”

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The second source says that Spears “has a few close friends who check in with her on a daily basis,” noting that she is in regular contact with Paris Hilton. “They text often and see each other every now and then. Britney loves babies, so it was very exciting for her to meet Paris’ children.” (In August, Hilton, 43, said Spears “loves visiting her children with her husband.” Carter ReumPhoenix, who turns 2 in January, and London, 13 months.) Adds the source: “Britney is a happy person, but she spends a lot of time alone.”

She is open to dating. Spears was most recently linked to her former housekeeper. Paul Richard Solizthe sources told Us She had been dating her on and off since around September 2023. (They haven’t been seen together since August.) As for Asghari, sources say the exes — who split in August 2023 after 13 months of marriage — are no longer talking. (The 30-year-old actor is now dating a real estate agent Brooke Irvine. “This is his first relationship after the divorce,” says a fifth source. “He’s really happy.”) “Britney will always be a hopeless romantic,” the first source adds. “She loves having a partner, so she’s looking for dates.”

Make it easy for yourself

In the meantime, she’s busy. A source told Us In May, Spears explained that her dancing Instagram videos “work,” adding that they “entertain her.” She has a jewelry line in the works as well as a biopic based on her bestselling memoir. The woman in me. “She was excited about a lot of different projects,” says the first source. Her particular passion is teaching dance and she wants to open a dance studio. “It’s really a dream of hers,” the source explains, “and she talks about it often.” The second source says that Spears is in no rush to do anything professionally. “Britney leads a very low-key life. She’s not career-oriented – she just wants to do things that make her happy at the moment.”

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With reporting by Travis Cronin and Amanda Williams