On Jan. 27, Britney Spears went to see the romantic comedy 27 Dresses in LA — and left the movie theater in tears. On that same day, Britney’s mother, Lynne Spears, also got emotional, only it wasn’t over a sappy movie — it was over real life.

“Britney’s on my mind day and night,” Lynne told Life & Style exclusively after having landed in LA that evening to see her long-estranged daughter. “She never leaves my thoughts.”

Nor does Lynne’s other daughter, Jamie Lynn, who’s 16 and nearly five months pregnant. “Jamie Lynn’s my baby,” Lynne confided. “I’m doing my best. I’m doing as well as can be expected.”

Lynne decided to make the trip to LA after hearing from Britney, 26, herself. “Britney called her on Jan. 25,” says an insider. “She told her, ‘I’ve got to get my boys back and I can’t do it without you.’ Lynne, who hadn’t talked to Britney in ages, was shocked at first. It was the moment she’d been waiting for.”

On Jan. 28, the day after Lynne arrived in LA, Barbara Walters said on The View that mother and daughter have indeed been in touch with each other, according to Britney’s friend and sidekick Sam Lutfi. “Her mother has been very supportive of whatever it is Britney is going to do,” Barbara said after speaking to Sam.

“I love Britney dearly,” Lynne tells Life & Style. “I want nothing more than to protect her and make everything all right for her.”

As for Jamie Lynn, she remains in the Spears’ hometown, Kentwood, La., with the father of her child, Casey Aldridge. “I will always be there for her,” Lynne says. Told that people still believe she’s a good mother, Lynne managed a smile and replied, “Thank you. That means a lot right now with everything that’s happening.”