Child stars have been known to have complicated lives. What with their demanding schedules going in and out of auditions and performances while balancing school into the picture? But no one really stops to think about the parents of these stars. Good thing for us, Pattie Mallette, the mother of world-famous heart-throb Justin Bieber, has written a memoir of her youth. Riddled with abuse and heartache, she has risen from the ashes with her boy holding her hand every step.
The early life of Pattie Mallette
Pattie Mallette, the mother of pop star Justin Bieber, has faced numerous challenges throughout her life. Born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, she grew up in a single-parent household. Raised by her mother, Diane. Her father left their family when Pattie was just two years old.
However, Pattie’s childhood was not without its struggles. At the young age of three, she was sexually abused, a traumatic experience that would profoundly shape her life. The abuse caused her to struggle with shame and guilt, and as she got older, she began to turn to drugs to numb her pain. That kind of trauma made her judge herself. She carried shame with her for most of her life. “I’ve learned it’s normal and natural for anybody who’s been through sexual abuse to carry that shame and that blame and feel like there’s something wrong with you,” she said on the TODAY show.
Things went south
As a teenager, Pattie Mallette was rebellious. She started drinking and smoking pot, all influenced by a notoriously bad crowd. Furthermore, they were known to shoplift. When she was 15 years old, she was out drinking when she got date raped. This was how she lost her virginity. This was where she hit rock bottom and tried to take her life. She ended up in a psychiatric ward for 19 days. While in the psychiatric institution, she met someone who kickstarted a change in her life, a pastor whom she calls her āspiritual dad.ā
Then, Pattie Mallette met Jeremy Bieber, Justin’s father. Most of their relationship was not exactly healthy, and it took them a period of 4 years, on and off again, dating till she finally let him go. She fell pregnant at 17 years old with Jeremy’s child. Many people encouraged her to get an abortion, but she refused. āWhen I got pregnant I just went, whoa, now Iām responsible for another life and I really need to get my stuff together. I feel like, with my past, I didnāt deserve to have the most amazing child that I have,” she said, at 37 years old. “But itās almost in spite of me, with Godās amazing grace and mercy that we are where we are today.ā
Pattie Mallette and Christianity
We mentioned before that Pattie connected with a pastor while she was at the psychiatric ward. She wrote about her gratitude for her faith. But she is honest about how a connection wasn’t as clear as others might experience. For Justin Bieberās mom, the road to faith was a bumpy one, full of ups and downs. “It’s definitely a lifelong process,” she said. āThe journey of my faith is not in a neat tidy bow. Itās a little messy, and itās raw and itās real, but that was my experience. In sharing my faith Iām not necessarily preaching or telling people how they should do it. Iām just sharing my experience and what got me through.ā
One thing she had faith in without a single doubt, is her son, Justin Bieber. The two have always been really close, sharing a bond with her son that many mothers might envy, and few understand. she tried to shield him from her background for as long as possible. But, as he grew older she knew she had to be the one to tell him of her past traumas. āI didnāt let him hear my story until he was about 12 years old,ā she says. āHe heard it for the first time and he had some tears. It opened up the door for some conversation. Weāve talked through the issues, finding child words for the grown-up issues.ā
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Sources
- “Justin Bieberās mom, Pattie Mallette, pens book on abuse, faith, sex and her boy.” The Star. Shawna Richer. September 25, 2012.
- “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Justin Bieberās Mom, Pattie Mallette.” Cosmopolitan. Mehera Bonner. April 10, 2018.