Justin Bieber has seemingly grown from a sweet young pop singer to a bonafide bad boy, with a series of legal troubles already under his belt at the age of 19, and according to People magazine, his mother, Pattie Mallette, no longer has any control over her son's behavior and admits it has been hard "letting go."
"He's my son and I have to respect he is not going to want me going around being 'that mom' talking about his behavior," she told People magazine.
Over the past several months, Bieber has made headlines for various run-ins with the law through reckless driving in his luxury sports cars, as well as a series of bratty behavior from peeing in a mop bucket in a restaurant kitchen, getting into brawls outside of clubs and and even spitting on fans who were waiting to see him in Toronto outside of his hotel.
When Bieber first began his career, he toured with his mother by his side and lived in her care, but now that he's a legal adult, Mallette feels there is only so much she can do to monitor her son's behavior, though they still remain in touch.
"When your kids hit a certain age your parenting style changes and it is hard letting go," she told People. "I've had to let him go a little bit and let him be independent. It is hard to not be able to control everything that your adult child does...I text and call him every day. I definitely want to know everything that he is doing and what he is going through so I try to talk to him as much as he'll let me. I mean, he's on tour and being pulled in a million different directions but we talk as much as he is able."
While Mallette certainly cannot control her son, some fans wonder if a lack of parental involvement from the beginning had an effect on Bieber's overall behavior. Others defend her vehemently, insisting that the toxic world of Hollywood may have helped shaped who Bieber is today. While star has his share of sweet moments, many worry that he's headed in the wrong direction without the proper support system and a group of questionable friends. Still, Mallette denies being oblivious to it all.
"A lot of people might think that I have my head in the sand or that I am oblivious to the things my son is doing," she said. "I know who my son is and I don't always agree with every single thing that he does but I don't necessarily have to address that with everyone else."
