Britney Spears burst into tears while pleading for privacy from the media during an interview for NBC's "Dateline."

Spears told Matt Lauer she wants the paparazzi to leave her alone. In a choked-up voice Spears says "you have to realize that we're people." She says they need their "privacy" and "respect." She says "those are things that you have to have as a human being."

Spears also told Lauer she's a good mom and Kevin Federline is a good husband. Spears says her marriage to Federline is "awesome," and scrutiny from the paparazzi has made her an "emotional wreck." She says it is not true that Federline is living in the basement, as some media have reported.

The paparazzi have "crossed the line a little bit" by showing her in private moments, she said. She also defended her parenting skills, saying, "I know I'm a good mom."

She drew criticism earlier this year when she was photographed with her infant son, Sean, sitting on her lap as she drove. She cautions against judging her.

"I did it with my dad. I'd sit on his lap and I drive," the Louisiana native said. "We're country."

The singer said she feels like a target. Asked what she would say to the paparazzi as individuals, she says: "You have a life. And if you don't, you have to realize that we're people and that we ... just need privacy and we need our respect. And those are things that you have to have as a human being."

Federline and Spears married in the fall of 2004, and their son, Sean Preston, was born last September. She revealed last month that she is pregnant again.

Federline also has two children, Kori and Kaleb, with his former girlfriend, Shar Jackson.