Justin Bieber's Mom, Pattie Mallette, Dishes on Giving Teen Heartthrob His Space

Bieber's mother insists she's in touch with the popster everyday and has said she worries about him in light of the bad press he's been getting lately

Justin Bieber's recent headline-grabbing antics worry his mom, Pattie Mallette, but she's keeping a respectful distance now that he's an adult.

In an interview with People, the 37-year-old author acknowledged the difficulties letting her 19-year-old son live his life and make mistakes, especially in the harsh glare of the media spotlight.

"When your kids hit a certain age your parenting style changes and it is hard letting go," Mallette told the magazine. "His life was my life and now 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."

Pattie added however that despite the "Baby" singer becoming his own man, she still does her best to maintain daily contact in order to be a good influence on him.

"Every parent worries," she notes. "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."

She also rebuffed critics who say she's not as involved in her son's life as she should be considering all the bad press he's been getting lately: from his entourage being probed for a nightclub assault earlier this month and J.B. apologizing for dissing President Bill Clinton to having marijuana seized from his tour bus and getting escorted out of an L.A. nightspot.

"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," said Mallette. "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. 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."

The Canadian is continuing to plug her best-selling memoir Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber's Mom, which she has said is aimed at helping teens cope with bullying and anxiety. She is also dabbling in film, having recently produced the short Crescendo starring Ali Landry, money from which is benefiting crisis pregnancy centers.