Justin Bieber’s interview with In Touch magazine sees the 19-year-old repeat his oft-stated desire for a family.
“I can’t wait to have a beautiful wife and little kids running around,” he says.”But those things are in God’s hands, not mine.”
Despite a 2013 timeline that’s seen the singer accused in multiple assault and spitting allegations, run-ins with paparazzi, accused of speeding in his Calabasas, Calif., neighborhood, of showing up late for concerts, nightclub brawling, and exposed in an excruciating video where he urinated into a restaurant kitchen mop bucket; Bieber has consistently spoken of wanting to be a young father.
In 2011, the then 17-year-old told Us Weekly magazine he wanted to be a “young dad.” Two years later, the teen told the same magazine exactly the same thing.
Over the years, the superstar has been pictured with many kids either at shows or for the Make-A-Wish foundation. But, of late, Bieber has been photographed or filmed with children in impromptu fan situations and those of his friends .
To many, Bieber’s comments will sit at odds with his ‘bad boy’ rep which may or may not mean that image is over-egged . Either way, one of the most adored yet polarizing teen idols in recent history is openly gushing over (what all actual parents know is) the tough reality of parenthood.
Not surprisingly, Justin doesn’t elaborate on who he wants to have these longed-for children with.
After recently splitting with Selena Gomez after nearly three years, the heartthrob has been linked to three waitresses, two unidentified women, a kiss-and-tell former nurse, model Ashley Moore and even his brief tour mate, Ariana Grande.
But behind the speculation, scrutiny, and screaming tabloid headlines, it seems the kid America fell in love with may still be in that tattooed frame somewhere.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s fun to be young, fall in love and be in love,” Bieber tells In Touch .”My mom taught me how to treat a woman right, so I enjoy taking a girl out and doing nice things for her.
“Everyone deserves to feel like they are the most special person in the world,” he adds.
The brief interview ended with the Biebs echoing part of his Billboard Music Awards speech after he was booed, when he said he should be taken seriously and that all this “other bull should not be spoken of.”
It’s a tall and clearly impossible request to ask of a 24/7 news cycle, but the Stratford native gives it one more try with In Touch.
“Sometimes I think people get distracted…and forget that I’m here to create music,” Justin notes . “I put everything I have into my music, and I wish people would focus more on that.”
Apparently a teen star who has everything except a prospective wife, isn’t hankering for the fan love of millions or a revolving door of conquests, but that most normal of things. A family.
Looking at Bieber’s year so far these are perhaps encouraging signs of a pendulum swing to balance many have been calling for. Inevitably, given the past five months, some continue to take easy shots, which does raise this question:
Is the ‘Bieber bad boy’ meme more useful to the entertainment news cycle than ‘Bieber begins to sort himself out and show glimmerings of maturity?’