Mom Catches Bieber Fever

Go ahead and make fun of me. I can take it. I’m a big girl. I openly admit that I’m a fan of 16-year-old singing sensation Justin Bieber—you know, the cute kid with the flip hairdo, no pimples, and the guts to dance on stage alongside his mentor Usher like no other white boy I ever saw.

Even though I don’t have the pop star’s poster on my bedroom wall yet, I still felt like a giddy teenage groupie (they’re called “Beliebers”) when I took my 12-year-old daughter Sari and a bunch of her girlfriends to the opening night of the wildly anticipated movie “Never Say Never.”

Sure I felt a little out of place as I chewed sugarless gum and waited in line with hysterical middle schoolers who tied purple bandanas around their heads, texted each other on their cell phones encased in bling, (even though they were standing right next to each other), and munched on popcorn despite wearing neon-colored braces on their teeth that cost their parents a fortune.

The theatre was packed with screaming pubescent girls who pretended that the 3D movie was a real live rock concert. They actually stood on their feet and stretched out their arms waiting for their dimply idol to throw his sweaty baseball cap into the audience. I took another mom with me, and we looked like dorks wearing black-framed plastic eyeglasses as we sat behind our daughters. As you probably already know, never sit in the same row with your kids. It cramps their style, and it’s just not cool.

The movie was a lot of fun, and not one time did Bieber grab his crotch. Not only that, his songs contained absolutely no cuss words or pornographic lyrics, unlike the other Grammy-nominated hits of Eminen, Lada Gaga, Rhianna, and the like. Instead, Bieber wowed the multigenerational crowd with his genuine musical talent, unstoppable energy, adorable smile, and, even though it’s not my thing, stylish baggy pants and purple tennis shoes.

This biographical documentary traces Bieber’s unparalleled rise to fame from the time he was a toddler and banged on his drum set, strummed his guitar, and belted out tunes for his close-knit family and friends. The movie also shows that he is, in many ways, a normal kid who likes to eat McDonald’s chicken nuggets, ride his motor scooter, shoot hoops with his buddies in the gym, squirt water guns at his crew, say grace before his meals, and sell out Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes. Okay, so he’s not a typical teenager.

I’m not prejudice that Bieber was discovered on YouTube by a Jewish guy named Scott Samuel “Scooter” Braun, who taught Bieber, a Christian, how to pray the Shema before a concert. I just think the cute boy with the hair is an inspiration to young people, and his message is believe in yourself, work hard, and follow your dreams.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.