Brit Keeps Shared Custody - But Will She Stick to the Deal?

Britney definitely has one big lucky star out there - or by the looks of it, a whole constellation. Either that, or a whole family of fairy godmothers is working round the clock to keep the lucky breaks happening for the famous popwreck. And it seems to be working. Picture this: Britney gets to keep her kids for the moment, even though the judge who ruled in her case openly stated that she does have unsolved substance abuse issues. Brit Brit gets another chance - but this time, it really is the last one.

If Britney wants to keep shared custody with ex-hubby Kevin Federline, she has to comply to quite a long list of conditions, which were set out by a judge yesterday. Considering the seemingly never-ending streak of disasters that the disgraced pop diva has stumbled into recently, she should be ready to do anything she is asked to do - even scrape toilets - if that allows her to keep the present custody arrangements. Really. And by the looks of the list of conditions set out by judge Gordon, it seems that he's read right through K-Fed's "daddy of the year" act, seeing how many of the recommendations address both parents and not just Britney herself.

"Based on the evidence presented, the Court finds that there is a habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances by Petitioner [Spears] who will have to undergo testing for controlled substances and alcohol. The testing shall be conducted twice per week on random dates and times, and the results will be forwarded to the court", the statement reads. In other words, everybody knows Brit Brit's not going lightly on the bottle, but if she wants her kids to stay with her, she will have to stop.

In addition to the dug tests, here's what else the Britster and K-Fed can and can't do:
- they can't take Sean Preston and Jayden James out of state without the written consent of the other
- they can't make derogatory statements about each other anymore
- they must complete the "Parenting Without Conflict" program
- they are both restrained from using corporal punishment with the children or allowing anyone else to do that
- they are required to engage in joint co-parenting counseling
- neither of them may consume alcohol or non-prescription controlled substances 12 hours prior to taking custody of the children
- they must ensure that any prospective childcare professionals hold valid Red Cross infant CPR training

Britney has an extra couple of tasks set out, in addition to undergoing random, regular drug screenings twice a week. She must attend individual counseling at least once a week to address parenting issues and also meet with a parenting coach for a minimum of 8 hours a week, in at least two sessions a week. The coach is to observe her parenting skills and her interaction with her sons and provide K-Fed with a written progress report by October 22nd.

Yes, well, as I was saying, the list is loong and Brit's memory kind of short. But realistically speaking, this is a walk in the park compared to what we thought was going to happen. Finally, there seems to be some good news following the manic Monday in which Brit's attorney and her agent both jumped ship and left her to deal with her issues on her own. We only hope Brit either sobers up or hires someone to make sure she's sober and she sticks to the deal - as from now on any false step can cost her the kids.