[Pete.]

Sooner or later, most parents find themselves stumped by their child’s math homework. For Britney Spears, a hands-on mom to sons Sean Preston, 9, and Jayden James, 8, the moment has arrived.

“They go to a really hard school, and this week we had three hours of homework [a night],” the popstar tells PEOPLE in this week’s at-home cover story. “Some of it is hard for me. Next year when [Preston’s] in fifth grade, he’s going to be doing pre-algebra, and I’m taking classes so I know how to do it!”

As Mom brushes up on math, the kids have their own incentive to do well. “Homework is a priority, and we have a reward system that helps motivate them,” she says. “If they get so many A’s, they get one toy a month.”

Mum of the Decade <3