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NEW YORK - Kevin Federline won't win any parenting awards, but the once-reviled ne'er-do-well has rehabilitated his reputation and is now seen by some celebrity watchers as a better parent than his ex-wife, pop star Britney Spears.
This week Federline was given sole custody of the couple's two
boys -- Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1. That may have surprised some who knew Federline for infamously leaving his pregnant girlfriend Shar Jackson to take up with Spears as well as for his reputation as a bad boy on the party scene.
But observers say that decision reflected Spears' steady emotional decline and Federline cleaning up his act.
"There seems to be a direct relationship between his sense of responsibility and the unravelling of Britney Spears," said Harvey Levin, managing editor of gossip website TMZ.com.
"When she divorced him, he was just reviled. People thought he was a slacker who didn't own up to any responsibility, much less parenting," Levin said. "But when she started spiralling, he really did step up and he really did take over the kids."
In the 11 months since the couple's split, Spears, 25, has been in and out of rehab, shaved her head, attacked paparazzi, and been photographed in various states of drunken disrepair, sometimes without underwear.
Meanwhile, Federline mostly stayed out of the limelight, keeping himself and the children out of the tabloids.
"From the moment that those two split up, you have never seen him photographed with the kids," said Us Weekly Editor-In-Chief Janice Min.
"It's interesting that without Britney in his life he stopped going out, he stopped partying, and this barrage of negative information about Kevin stopped coming."
Celebrity divorce lawyer Raoul Felder said Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon had no choice but to award custody to Federline, because Spears had not complied with court orders.
He noted that under US law, custody is awarded to the parent who has the best interests of the child in mind.
"But with a lot of celebrities that bar is pretty low," said Felder, who has represented former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and actress Robin Givens through their marital splits.
He also said that Federline -- a former backup dancer with a stalled career in music -- could have financial motives behind the custody suit.
"With custody comes child support ... it's part of a financial transaction, whether he likes it or not."
Still, Federline's new role as a full-time parent is a difficult one. Armin Brott, author of seven books on fatherhood, said that challenge will be significantly easier for Federline because he will have money.
"He can afford day care and nannies if he needs the help, and it's not like Britney was a stay-at-home mom," Brott said. "He needs to understand that he has these kids -- he can't be a kid anymore."
Us Weekly's Min said Federline "has developed a really good, warm, caring home for the boys," and noted that former girlfriend Jackson often visits with Federline's other children, as do Spears' estranged parents.
"It sort of has become this big, crazy, happy family in the most bizarre way. It would almost be a great sitcom if part of it wasn't quite tragic -- that Britney Spears is an unfit mother," she said.
- REUTERS