It looks as though Kevin Federline has proven himself worthy of his "Father of the Year" award. The Federline/Britney Spears custody saga that's been dragged out in court and across the tabloids for the past year-and-a-half has finally come to a conclusion -- and Federline has been awarded sole custody of the pair's two toddler sons. According to People, Spears' contact with her boys will remain the same as before. She'll be allowed to visit little Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, twice a week, with one overnight visit.

"The case has been settled," Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told E! News. While both Spears and Federline have signed the settlement documents, and all issues regarding the custody agreement have reportedly been agreed upon, the court has yet to approve it. The pair is due in court July 18 for the case's final hearing.

According to Kaplan, though, the details of the settlement were something of a surprise for K-Fed -- though he also said that his client was "absolutely delighted" with the outcome.

"Kevin was not [out] to get custody. Kevin's goal was to set up some kind of template so the mother of his children can co-parent," Kaplan told E! News. "He said, 'I need to have Britney to be involved in the co-parenting of the kids, but I need there to be a structure.'"

Spears and Federline, who famously split (via text message) in the fall of 2006, have been battling over custody of their tater tots since July 2007. At that time, the two had 50/50 custody -- a scenario that quickly changed when Mommy Spears began tumbling into the drug-fuelled, head-shaving, baby-dropping, car-smashing, tabloid-covered trainwreck that's been her life for the past year or so. The pop-tart was ordered to give up custody of the kids last October due to what a judge referred to as "her drug-and-alcohol-fuelled lifestyle."

After being hospitalized, twice, for mental health issues earlier this year, her father, Jamie, has been in control of her affairs. Since Jamie's been around, Spears has appeared to be taking steps towards recovery. While her visits with her children have been under the watch of a court-appointed monitor since late February, Spears' visitation rights were recently expanded to include one overnight visit per week.

Today's custody settlement isn't necessarily the last word for Spears, however. Kaplan told OK! that her permitted visitations with her boys could "increase over time."


 

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