Britney Spears Sends Happy Birthday Message to Sons amid Estrangement: 'Love You Both So Much'

Britney Spears sent birthday love to her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James on Tuesday, days after apologizing to them amid their ongoing estrangement.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, the singer, 40, shared two photos of her teenage boys, who celebrate their birthdays days apart. Jayden turned 16 on Monday, while Preston turned 17 on Wednesday.

"Happy birthday Preston and Jayden 🎉🎈!!!" Spears wrote in her caption. "Love you both so much 🥰 !!!"

She went on to explain that the photos she shared were from last year. The first picture showed Spears posed with her arm around Preston. The second shot was snapped as the "Hold Me Closer" singer stood between her two boys during the holiday season, all three wearing masks to protect against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Spears' well-wishes come amid a turbulent time for the mother and her sons.

RELATED: Britney Spears Apologizes to Sons, Insists She Wants to Feel 'Valued': 'Sorry If I Ever Hurt You'

Britney Spears/Instagram

RELATED: Britney Spears' Son Jayden, 15, Shares His Hopes to Repair Relationship: 'This Can Be Fixed'

Earlier this month, Jayden gave an interview to The Daily Mail that aired on ITV in which he revealed that he and his brother find themselves torn regarding Spears' use of social media, noting that Preston "asked my mother not to post his photos, and she did it anyway. So it didn't go well."

"Social media helps her… So if that's what she wants to do, that's what she wants to do. I'm not going to hate her for that," the teen said. "At the same time, she should come to the realization of whatever it is that stops her loving her family."

Britney Spears/Instagram

'It's almost like she has to post something on Instagram to get some attention," he said. "This has gone on for years and years and years and there's a high chance that this will never stop, but I'm hoping for me that she will stop."

"I 100 percent think this can be fixed, it's just going to take a lot of time and effort," he added, of their strained relationship, telling his mom directly, "I love you a lot, I hope for the best for you. Maybe one day we can sit down like this and talk again."

Britney Spears and her sons

Over the weekend, Spears responded to her sons in a since-deleted Instagram post, addressing their decision not to see her right now by admitting to having reservations of her own.

"I'm afraid to inform you guys, I'm not willing to see you until I feel valued," Spears said, adding that she has been made to feel "desperate" and "pathetic" for trying to be involved in her sons' lives. "Honestly, I should have valued myself way more."

The singer claimed in the post that she was "angry" and does "want to be heard."

"All I know is my love for my children is more than anything and I'm sorry if I ever hurt you guys in any way," she said. "I'm so blessed to even call you mine. And I just want you to know."

"My love for my children has no boundaries and it deeply saddens me to know his outcry of saying I wasn't up to his expectations of a mother," Spears said in an earlier post, "Maybe one day we can meet face to face and talk about this openly !!!!"

Britney Spears Instagram Preston, Britney Spears and Jayden

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Spears continues to be estranged from members of her family including parents Jamie and Lynne Spears as well as siblings Jamie Lynn and Bryan in the wake of the termination of her conservatorship.

Jayden and Preston were not in attendance when their mom married husband Sam Asghari in June, but their father — Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline — said through his attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan that they were "happy" for her and "hopeful that Sam and Britney are starting a great future together."

"At the time it just wasn't a good time to go," Jayden told The Daily Mail. "I'm really happy for them, but she didn't invite the whole family, and then if it was just going to be me and Preston, I just don't see how that situation would have ended on good terms."