Lynne Spears' friends have defended her parental skills.

Long-term pals of the Spears family have come forward in support of Lynne
and have also revealed her "desperation" to help her troubled 26-year-old
daughter Britney.

Joy, who has known Lynne for over 20 years, said: "Lynne is portrayed as a
bad mother, a mother that doesn't care, a mother interested in money, but
that's simply not the truth.

"She called me early one morning and she said, 'I think if I just get to
Britney and I just touch her and if I just hold her, then it'll be OK. I'm
going in my trainers and my sweatpants and if I have to climb the wall and
run past bodyguards and dogs, that's what I'm going to do. I'm getting to
her. I'm desperate. ' "

Lynne's parental skills came under intense criticism after eldest daughter
Britney was committed to the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric
Hospital at Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric evaluation, and
her 16-year-old daughter Jamie Lynn fell pregnant.

Joy added to US TV show 'Access Hollywood': "Britney and Lynne were
extremely close and I don't know how their rift got this far. Britney is an
adult and I think Lynne has been one of the people in her life that has told
her the truth and that's not always pleasant to hear.

"There were plenty of people around her to tell her what she wanted to hear
and she shut her mom out."

After Lynne and Britney reunited in Los Angeles last week, Lynne rang Joy
and friend Kelly and begged them to "pray" for mother-of-two Britney.

Kelly revealed: "Lynne was really upset. She was having a difficult time.

She said, 'Kelly, you just can't imagine. Just pray for Britney. She's not
doing well. I just don't know what's going to happen.' She just asked me to
keep praying for her."