Kevin Federline Practices 'People' Skills

Bauer Griffin Online

Britney Spears has been making lots of headlines these days, and rightfully so.

But Kevin Federline, her ex-husband and father to her two sons, Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2, has something he'd like to get off his chest too.

Federline, 30, who split up with Spears, 27, in 2006 and retains sole custody of their children, sat down with People magazine to offer his side of their relationship, and how the two are weathering the public storm as they struggle back toward normalcy.

On the first time they met: "I met her at a club in Hollywood, Joseph's. Our eyes met and that was it. We just hit it off right away. I learned real fast how much of a whirlwind the press and everything was."

On their happiest moment together: "Well, getting married. I never thought that I would get married but it wound up happening. That was a really, really, happy, exciting moment."

On how it all fell apart: "It's hard enough to be in a marriage, and then have a kid, then kids, it changes everything. For me, I'd become more concerned with my children. Not that I ignored Britney, but my kids are always most important ... I mean, we were having complications. I didn't give her an ultimatum, but I was trying to work stuff out with her, and she didn't even talk to me or anything and went behind my back and filed [for divorce]. [I was] completely blindsided."

On Britney's return from the brink of self-destruction: "Oh, man, it's totally turning around. It works out that [the kids] get to see her. There's structure over there, there's structure at my house. We're trying to keep the same type of schedule. It doesn't have to be completely perfect, but the foundation is there."

Reputation aside, it sounds like the former back-up dancer is pretty grounded. No wonder even his former mother-in-law has warmed up to him.