Britney Spears: Happy being mom and aunt

NEW YORK — Britney Spears tells OK! magazine she’s focused on family life these days, looking forward to her two sons meeting their new cousin, daughter of her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.

“She’s going to come out here for the kids’ birthdays,” Spears, who lives in Beverly Hills, Calif., says of Jamie Lynn in the Aug. 25 issue of OK! “It will be the first time the cousins meet. I’m sure the boys will be like big brothers to Maddie,” who was born June 19.

Spears, 26, flaunts her maternal side in photos with sons Sean Preston and Jayden James on the cover and inside pages of the magazine. There are shots of the family in Spears’ pool, including one showing the pop star enjoying a swim with her once-estranged mother, Lynne.

After several years of custody battles, estrangements and high-profile meltdowns, Spears reports life with all family members is calm and pleasant.

1. More Entertainment stories
   1. Will Smith shines in 'Men in Black III'
      

      REVIEW: If you're not a fan of Will Smith's smooth-talking Agent J in the "Men in Black" franchise, don't see the third mo...

   2. Can WWII film hidden by Army help veterans?
   3. Happy 35th anniversary, 'Star Wars'!
   4. Tim McGraw giving homes, hope to veterans
   5. Phillip Phillips has a double double name name

Her relationship with her mother, soon due out with a book about the family’s life, is “really, really good. I went through a stage when I was in high school when it wasn’t so good, but now I’m at a stage where I really appreciate her a lot more.”

She says she’s also getting along with her father, James, who’s been in control of her personal and professional matters as her legal conservator.

As for being an aunt, it did take a little getting used to, says Spears, who was a little “shocked” while visiting her 17-year-old sister and actress Jamie Lynn in the hospital for the birth of her newborn daughter.

“That was special, but it was also strange because she’s always been the baby, and now the baby was having a baby,” Spears says. “It was mind-boggling. I was shocked a little bit. “

Spears appears to have cleaned up her act in recent days. Last month, she settled a long-running custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline, which allows her additional visits with her children.

She also appears fit and confident in promotional ads for the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards — the opposite of her widely panned appearance at last year’s ceremony. MTV has said they are in talks to have the singer appear at this year’s Sept. 7 ceremony.