Jamie Lynn Spears Gets Emotional Dropping Daughter Maddie Off at College Dorm

Time moves quickly in the Spears household. Former Nickelodeon star Jamie Lynn Spears has officially reached a major milestone in her journey as a parent, dropping her oldest child, Maddie Aldridge, off for her freshman year of college. The *Zoey 101* actress took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a tender collection of photos capturing the big move. In the multi-slide carousel, the mother of two documented 18-year-old Maddie settling into her campus living quarters at the University of Southern Mississippi, while her eight-year-old daughter, Ivey, prepared to begin third grade during the exact same week.

Inside Maddie Aldridge college dorm move in day The social media update gave fans an inside look at the family getting everything set up in the college space. One sweet snap showed Maddie wrapping her arms around her younger sister as the pair stood beside a dorm bed. In another photo from the post, young Ivey showed off her neat school uniform while getting ready for her own academic milestone. Spears and her husband, Jamie Watson, 44, made sure to capture a full group memory too, joining both girls inside the college bedroom for a family portrait. Captioning the post, Spears confessed that managing a third grader alongside a brand-new college student had her holding back tears as she watched her daughters hit two completely different stages of growing up. Maddie shared her own carousel of move-in highlights on her page as well, calling the major transition bittersweet.

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The move onto campus follows months of Spears getting emotionally ready for her eldest child to leave the nest. Earlier this year, the TV veteran reflected on how fast her firstborn was growing while getting ready for Maddie's high school graduation, noting to her online followers that she was already feeling overwhelmed when official ceremony invitations were mailed out. Spears first became a mother in June 2008 when she welcomed Maddie alongside her former fiancé Casey Aldridge. After stepping away from the spotlight for a period during her late teens, Spears later built a new life with Watson. The couple officially tied the knot in 2014 and expanded their family four years later when Ivey was born. Watching Maddie move into her university housing signals a huge accomplishment for the devoted mom, who has consistently shared key milestones of her daughters' lives with her supportive fan base.