Michelle Obama’s Advice to Justin Bieber’s Parents: ‘I Would Pull Him Close’

Justin Bieber’s bad behavior – including a recent DUI in Miami and drug use on a plane – has many wondering about what sort of parenting the 19-year-old has received.

Although he’s legally an adult, First Lady Michelle Obama – who has called herself “Mom-in-Chief” – said the singer needs more guidance and attention, ABC News reports.

“I would pull him close. You know, I don’t know if it would be advice as much as action,” Obama said during an interview with Univision Radio host Enrique Santos. “I would be very present in his life right now. And I would be probably with him a good chunk of the time, just there to talk, to figure out what’s going on in his head, to figure out who’s in his life and who’s not.”

“I found that to be the case with my kids,” she said of her two daughters, Sasha, 12, and Malia, 15. “They just want you near, you know – they want that advice from a parent. They want to see you on a daily basis, because the thing is he’s still a kid. He’s still growing up. So, I would pull him close.”

But many Americans want the opposite – to deport the Canadian pop singer and revoke his green card. A petition to do just that has garnered more than 250,000 signatures, requiring an official response from the Oval Office.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney says an official response is forthcoming.

People magazine