Britney's Babies Take the Unkindest Cut of All

It seems everyone has a theory on Britney Spears' recent behavior, but no amount of dime-store psychoanalysis will explain why any young woman would risk her own children's well-being unless she had lost control of herself completely.

Most of the pundits, professionals included, are saying she is a "young person" who is "acting out," perhaps even raging against rigid, unwanted control placed on her by others. Many are comparing her behavior to that of a teen who has not yet learned to express herself and her emotions with words.

Britney Spears a teen? Hardly. At 26 many young women are married with children and careers. In fact, Britney has been a mover and shaker in the adult world of work since her early days at the Mickey Mouse Club. Unable to express herself with words? Would this then be the same Britney who has written and performed many prolific songs about the angst and anguish that is her life?

And finally, Spears "controlled"? Exactly what control does she appear to be rebelling against, because even a cursory examination of her life in recent years shows very little control by anyone.

Her own lyrics and her song choices are very revealing for those who care to look, but be forewarned that if you have any sense of decency, it may require some looking away.

I'm not sure how her parents and other handlers or the media can act so surprised by her most recent behavior, how they can feign shock at the new antics. This is, of course, the same woman with a song called "Lick My Baby Back Behind" (whose words are much more disturbing than its title) and another called "Where is My Baby?" The lyrics of both show more than a mere blip on the monitor of emotional upheaval in a young woman's psyche. Listening to them ... I don't know ... perhaps you could get lost in the beat. Maybe, set to music, they are just hip and popular. But look them up as lyrics, black and white on a page, and you see them for the raw wounds they are. This type of song doesn't need to be autobiographical to represent a problem for a singer. Any sane person reading the words would wonder, "Why would you want to sing that? What does that mean to you? Does that represent you?" And perhaps, "What type of emotionally disturbed young woman would want to sing along?"

Britney herself chose to remind us not so long ago that she's "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman." How long does Britney believe you get to stay locked somewhere in that wonderland between? What pulls you over to the other side? Is it marriage? Annulment? Remarriage? Children? Divorce?

At 26 I was married with children and working as a journalist. By all accounts I had not had nearly the exposure to all things "worldly" as Miss Britney has had by the same age. But I had at least the maturity that comes with keeping a home, going to work, giving birth. I would venture to say she has this as well.

When I went to the hair salon and had my long locks chopped short, I will never forget the look of confusion on my young daughter's face when I returned home a few hours later. At age 2 she was so shocked by the difference in my appearance that she screamed and ran from me, crying inconsolably. Even as she heard my voice and saw my same face, the dramatic difference was more than she could register and process without some level of pain and confusion. It took quite a while for her to warm up to me again and realize she had nothing to fear, that this mommy was the same mommy who had left her hours earlier.

Although I hadn't thought of it for nearly 18 years, I haven't been able to get the image of my wailing child out of my mind since watching Britney take the shears to her own head in an act of ... what? I'm not sure. Self-aggression? Defiance? She appeared completely sober and in control. But when does control become uber-control and then become some perverse version of no control at all?

I have to wonder if she thought about how horrifying she would look to her babies? I suppose with her extreme wealth and unlimited access to material props, she could just "wig" up (and wash her face), and they may never have to see her looking like some concentration camp escapee -- until they are a bit older and can operate a computer keyboard, that is.

Nothing anyone even semi-famous does in the internet age will ever go away completely. The images of each act are burned into cyberspace for eternity. The descriptive narratives, multiplied by the thousands, are there to accompany every ugly slip, every intentional lashing out. So, Britney's children -- babies today but internet surfers in a few short tomorrows -- will not only see their mother's shorn head as she continues her very public meltdown but also will catch an unfortunate of glimpse of what each of us should have seen for the last time on our way out the day we were born. Britney, they call it your privates for a reason. It should be somewhat private. Is this a basic lesson she missed because she had too many scheduled sessions on choreography and stage presence? Doubtful. The public displays did not appear accidental. And there is no logical explanation for the behavior.

There is no "Oops, I did it again" factor to any of the soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Federline's missteps. When you are raised in the spotlight, you do not soon forget its glare. You are quite aware of its constant presence. In fact it's what most celebrities complain about most often.

If you were not a celebrity, if you had not been raised to be wary of every photographer and interviewer, if you were just an average mother in her mid-20s who was going through an ugly divorce, even you would have the God-given sense to realize that your every movement could be scrutinized and thrown back at you in a custody battle. How much self control would one have to muster to wear a pair of underwear? to party in private? How much to stay sober? Well, then how much to stay the hell home and hold your babies?

Where are Britney Spears' children? Who explains where mommy is? Who will explain what mommy has done?

She may have cut all the hair off hair head this weekend, but she delivered the unkindest cut to her children the day she decided that she was the one who needed help getting through this nasty divorce and that the help should come from a partying pack of Paris Hilton clones.

The lyrics to her hit "Lucky" pose an interesting question. "The world is spinning and she keeps on winning, but tell me what happens when it stops?" I'm afraid we're all getting a chance to see the answer.