Child actors are often known to lead complex lives, juggling demanding schedules of auditions and performances while also managing their education.
However, the experiences of their parents are often overlooked. Fortunately, Pattie Mallette, the mother of the globally renowned heartthrob Justin Bieber, has penned a memoir detailing her upbringing.
Despite enduring abuse and heartbreak, she has persevered and is supported every step of the way by her son.
The early life of Pattie Mallette
Pattie Mallette, the mother of pop sensation Justin Bieber, has encountered numerous obstacles throughout her life. She was born on April 2, 1975, in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, and was raised by her mother, Diane, in a single-parent household after her father departed when she was two years old.
Despite being raised by a loving mother, Pattie experienced significant difficulties during her childhood. At the tender age of three, she was the victim of sexual abuse, a deeply traumatic experience that would continue to affect her for the rest of her life.
The abuse left her with feelings of guilt and shame, leading her to turn to drugs in an attempt to numb her pain. She struggled with self-judgment due to the trauma she experienced.
“I’ve realized that it’s natural and normal for anyone who has gone through sexual abuse to bear that shame and blame and to feel that there is something inherently wrong with them,” she shared during an appearance 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 “spiritual dad.”
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.
“When I got pregnant I just went, whoa, now I’m responsible for another life and I really need to get my stuff together. I feel like, with my past, I didn’t deserve to have the most amazing child that I have,” she said, at 37 years old. “But it’s almost in spite of me, with God’s amazing grace and mercy that we are where we are today.”
Pattie Mallette and Christianity
As previously mentioned, Pattie Mallette found solace in her faith through her connection with a pastor while in the psychiatric ward. However, she has been candid about the fact that her path to faith was not straightforward or easy.
She experienced a tumultuous journey full of ups and downs. “It’s definitely a lifelong process,” she acknowledged. “The journey of my faith is messy, raw, and real. That was my experience. When I share my faith, I’m not preaching or dictating how others should approach it. I’m merely sharing my personal experience and what helped me get through.”
One thing that Pattie Mallette had absolute faith in was her son, Justin Bieber. The two share an incredibly close bond that many mothers would envy, but few truly understand. Pattie tried to shield Justin from her troubled past for as long as possible.
However, as he grew older, she knew that she had to be the one to reveal the truth to him. “I didn’t share my story with him until he was about 12 years old,” she recounted. “He heard it for the first time and shed some tears. It opened the door for conversation, and we’ve worked through the issues together, finding child-friendly words for the grown-up issues.”
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