Jamie Lynn Spears’s oldest daughter, Maddie, has decided which college she will be attending.
The Zoey 101 actor announced in an Instagram post that her 16-year-old daughter committed to college one year before her high school graduation. She will be attending the University of Southern Mississippi to play softball.
“All in my feels, bc my baby girl has committed to furthering her athletic & academic career at the University of Southern Miss!” her lengthy caption began as she showed various images of Maddie playing softball throughout the years.
Spears reflected on where she was at 16 years old when she was pregnant with Maddie, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend Casey Aldridge. “I can remember it like it was just yesterday, as the whole world watched and judged as I made the choice to have my baby at 16 years old, fast fwd to today, and that same little baby girl is now 16 years old herself announcing that she will be going to play D1 ball for an amazing college,” she wrote.
She continued: “I did everything I could to better myself in order to be the mama she deserved, & to break those generational curses, so they weren’t passed on to her or any future generations.
“I think her story is a true testament to trusting God’s will & being able to achieve whatever you’re willing to work hard for, and I couldn’t be more proud of her! Love you, Maddie. GO EAGLES.”
Maddie also made her own Instagram post announcing her commitment to the school while also expressing her thanks to the people who supported her throughout her career including her family, teammates, and coaches.
“This is a dream come true and I am truly blessed!! Thank you to Coach Poole, Coach Izzy, Coach Aaron, and Coach Matt for this opportunity!! GO EAGLES!!!” her caption read.
Over the years, the former Nickelodeon star has opened up about her struggles being pregnant at 15 years old and the criticism she faced because of it. In her 2022 memoir, Things I Should Have Said: Family, Fame, and Figuring it Out she discussed her parents taking her to a secluded cabin in Mississippi after they allegedly begged her to not have the baby or give her up for adoption.
“They took my smartphone away, fearing the news would get out, and insisted that no one share any information with anyone, especially the press. My daddy and I stopped speaking and the tension was terrible,” she wrote in the book.
Spears compared the time in her life to being in prison, adding how her team “went so far as hiding my pregnancy from my sister, claiming, ‘It’s too risky to tell Britney about the baby.’ I needed her more than ever and she wasn’t able [to] help me in my most vulnerable time.”
Spears is also a mother to six-year-old Ivey, whom she shares with her husband Jamie Watson.
