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\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Jamie Lynn Spears<\/strong><\/a> is entering a major new chapter as a mom.<\/p>\n The 35-year-old Zoey 101<\/em> star is opening up about her close bond with her 18-year-old daughter Maddie<\/strong>, who recently graduated high school and is preparing to head to the University of Southern Mississippi in August.<\/p>\n Maddie<\/strong>, who plans to study health sciences and play softball, recently found herself relating to another famous mother-daughter duo: Lorelai and Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThey grew up together, and we kind of did, too,\u201d Maddie<\/strong> told People<\/a><\/em> in their first joint interview together about being raised by Jamie<\/strong>, who welcomed her when she was just 17.<\/p>\n Jamie<\/strong> became pregnant with Maddie<\/strong> at 16 while she was starring on Zoey 101<\/em> and dating then-boyfriend Casey Aldridge<\/strong>. At the time, she was dealing with intense public scrutiny.<\/p>\n \u201cI was called the biggest letdown in the world,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n After stepping away from Hollywood, Jamie<\/strong> focused on creating a quieter life for Maddie<\/strong>. in Louisiana.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really was just me and her,\u201d she said, as she and Casey<\/strong> eventually split. \u201cI had to be like, \u2018Look, this little girl needs you. You better figure it out.\u2019 I wanted to create a good, stable life for my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n Maddie<\/strong> said her mom was protective, but she understood why.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was definitely strict but with good reason. She just wants me to be safe,\u201d Maddie<\/strong> shared. \u201cWe just had fun together because she did have me so young.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie<\/strong>\u2018s family grew when she married businessman Jamie Watson<\/strong>, 45, in 2014, but their lives were rocked in 2017 when Maddie<\/strong> was involved in a near-fatal ATV accident<\/a>.<\/p>\n She was trapped underwater in a pond on the family\u2019s property and was airlifted to a hospital, where she remained in coma for two days.<\/p>\n While Maddie<\/strong> doesn\u2019t remember the crash, she said the experience deeply affected their family.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like our faith got a lot stronger,\u201d she said. \u201cIt definitely put things into perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Jamie<\/strong> said Maddie<\/strong> had been asking for a sibling before the accident, and that request came right back after she woke up. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen she came out of her coma, she\u2019s like, \u2018You going to give me that baby?\u2019\u201d Jamie<\/strong> recalled.<\/p>\n The following year, Jamie<\/strong> welcomed daughter Ivey<\/strong>, now 8.<\/p>\n \u201cWe always say she just went up to heaven to go pick out her little sister,\u201d she joked.<\/p>\n As the family prepares for Maddie<\/strong> to go to college, Jamie<\/strong> said she is proud but the transition is an emotional one. The family is spending plenty of time together with softball and movie nights.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so proud of her and everything she\u2019s done, but I also cry in the car because I\u2019m not going to have my baby home every day,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cShe\u2019s always going to be my baby.\u201d<\/p>\n And while Maddie<\/strong> is preparing to step into adulthood, Jamie<\/strong> already has a sweet vision for the future.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope I\u2019m working at her doctor\u2019s office,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I hope I\u2019m hanging out with our grandbabies [one day] and just spoiling them rotten, driving her nuts, living across the way just like we do now.\u201d<\/p>\n No matter where life takes them next, Maddie is confident that their bond is not changing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll always have each other\u2019s backs.\u201d<\/p>\n Find out what other celebrities became parents<\/a> before age 20!<\/p>\n Posted To:Jamie Lynn Spears<\/a> Maddie Aldridge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/jamie-lynn-maddie-02-788x591.jpg\")
<\/a>Jamie Lynn Spears is reflecting on becoming a mom so young<\/h3>\n
Maddie\u2019s accident changed their family forever<\/h3>\n
![\"Jamie](\"https:\/\/www.justjared.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/jamie-lynn-maddie-01-788x525.jpg\")
<\/a>Jamie<\/strong> says Maddie<\/strong> will \u201calways be my baby\u201d<\/h3>\n