Do All The Britney Rumors Matter When It Comes To The Kids?

With what I posted earlier today as well as all the other rumors printed about Britney today, you might be thinking Kevin's going to easily get the kids. Everything sounds so horrible when you read the headlines, but in reality much of it has no legal effect.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when reading the stories.

#1 Interviews aren't done under penalty of perjury--The first thing to remember is that none of the articles or posts or anything you see with quotes attributed to her past or present employees or her family and friends is admissible on its own. To be admissible all of those statements and quotes would need to be repeated under oath. That can occur either in written form like a declaration, or through live testimony such as at the hearing to be held on September 15.

#2 Check when the incident happened--The post I did earlier about the videos and the US Weekly story about Britney asking a nanny to get into bed with her before Jayden was born have no legal effect whatsoever. The reason for this is that these incidents occurred prior to the original visitation agreement she and Kevin signed. Kevin signed that agreement knowing of these incidents. To change the visitation, there has to be a change of circumstances since the last agreement.

#3 Read carefully - That earlier US Weekly story also states that Britney drinks in front of the kids. How many parents drink in front of their kids? I would say most parents who drink, tend to do so in front of their kids. Could you imagine if Child Protective Services took your kids away if you drank in front of them? Unless that drinking turns to violence or it somehow prevents her from parenting properly, it really doesn't matter that she drinks in front of the kids. US goes on to say that Britney will strip in front of almost anyone and say "do I look pretty?" Again, it's salacious but really has no bearing on whether she will lose her kids. There's nothing wrong with stripping for people in a legal sense. Again, if it puts the kids in danger then it would be different. Presumably this didn't just start right after Kevin left, so again, he probably knew about this before signing the original agreement. Finally the article says that Britney likes to hire people who like to drink and party. Good gossip yes, but irrelevant to whether or not she loses the kids.

#4 Britney's sexual orientation doesn't matter - Lots of posts today talking about Britney being bi, or having an affair with Shannon Funk. So what? Whether you are straight, bi, or homosexual has no legal bearing on whether you retain custody of your children. It's a pretty interesting story, but nothing more. The NY Daily News says the alleged makeout sessions could spell trouble for Spears. They basically gave two big if's but the actual makeout sessions, even if they did happen, don't matter. The Daily News also make a big deal out of Britney keeping her two children out late. This might be relevant if they were school age children and had school the next morning. However, they are both under two, and what is late is subjective. If they are getting enough sleep does it matter what time they go to bed? Again it's an opinion. Further, Britney could argue that she is being a better mom by spending time with them all day and night and not just leaving them at home with a nanny. By itself it's not enough, but it is the only thing that could be realistically argued. I can't remember if she and Kevin took them out late while they were still together, in which case, he couldn't use it.