LYNNE SPEARS: I’M UPSET MY DAUGHTER’S PREGNANT

Then in January, her oldest daughter, Britney, 26, was hospitalized twice for mental illness — before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, say insiders. Since then, an exhausted-looking Lynne, 52, has been shuttling back and forth between her home in Kentwood, La. (near where Jamie Lynn is staying), and Los Angeles, where Britney lives, trying to care for both girls while keeping quiet about her family’s troubles.

But on April 20, Lynne finally broke her silence, giving an exclusive, emotional interview to Life & Style. And she didn’t hold back. When asked about Jamie Lynn, now 17, Lynne spoke frankly. “I’m a bit disappointed that my youngest daughter got pregnant at such an early age,” she tells Life & Style. “All I can do is turn to God for answers and just leave it in his hands.”

But despite her frustration over the situation Jamie Lynn has gotten herself into, Lynne is trying to look on the bright side. “Jamie Lynn will be a wonderful mother,” she says. “She really has a way with children — she’s a natural nurturer. I just wish she had waited a bit.”

When it comes to Britney — who ended her long estrangement from her mom after leaving the psych ward at UCLA Medical Center on Feb. 6 — Lynne offered love and support. She also said she believes the key to solving the troubled pop star’s problems lies in her spending more time with her sons, Sean, 2, and Jayden, 1.

“I pray for Britney every day to be a better mother,” Lynne told Life & Style. “She’s gone through a lot of trauma, but she seems to be coming out of it — and it’s showing in her relationship with the boys. They’re really bonding.”

As for the future, Lynne remains hopeful for both daughters, telling Life & Style, “I think 2008 will be a better year for all of us.”