Britney's Mom: "It's Sad the Whole World Had to Watch Her Make Mistakes"

For the first time since their rift over her stint in rehab, Britney Spears' mother has broken her silence and talks to US Weekly about some of the
difficulties her famous daughter has faced this past year.

"You go into a time in your life with the world watching and you are just trying to figure yourself out," Lynne Spears told US in an exclusive interview that is featured in the latest issue of the magazine. "It's sad that the whole world had to watch her make mistakes that all of us have made at one time or another."

Earlier this year, the pop star found herself in a downward spiral that culminated in a wild public meltdown that featured video footage of her shaving her head in a California salon and lashing out against a photographer¹s car with an umbrella before she checked into rehab.

And her famous blond locks weren¹t the only thing the mother of two cut off at that time.

"She decided that she had to cut out everyone who was using her, and that included her parents," says a source of Spears, 26.

The estrangement was especially hard on the pop star's mother.

"Lynne was like Britney¹s best friend, so when Britney started partying and her mom tried to control her, she got mad," a family source explains.

Happily, the two reconciled on June 10, speaking for the first time in months and quietly taking their first steps back to a peaceful relationship.

And now Lynne tells Us Weekly how she and her daughter are coping.

"Britney Jean Spears is the sweetest and the most sensitive and loving of all my children," the mother of three tells Us. "She¹s just figuring things out."