Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about Demi Lovato. Demi Lovato is a singer and actress, and also, a philanthropist. Demi Lovato is a celebrity that has struggled through many issues as a child and adolescent, including cutting, eating disorders, bipolar, substance abuse, and bullying. Demi has been bullied as a child, but during middle school, the bullying became too much and she pulled out of public school to be homeschooled. She had a rocky relationship with her self-esteem issues and her eating disorders. At a young age, she began binge eating, and soon, throwing herself up because of her bullies. She also began to cut herself to harm herself.

          She always wanted to become a singer/actress, so she landed a role on Disney Channel to a short series called As the Bell Rings. People were impressed by Lovato’s talent and Disney soon gave her the roles in Camp Rock along with the Jonas Brothers, the sequel, and her own show, Sonny with a Chance.

          Lovato’s first account of substance abuse was around the age of 12. She got into a car accident and was prescribed painkillers. She would sneak them from her mother’s purse and consume them, enjoying the feelings of being taken away of her conscious. Through her teen years, she began to party a lot and use drugs and alcohol. After her relationship with Joe Jonas broke, whom she dated for about two months, she started to frequently party. When one of her own friends threatened to tell, she punched her and had a nervous breakdown.

          Her family and friends suggested for her to go to rehab, where she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. After exiting rehab, she got better, and stopped cutting, purging, and overcame her past experiences. However, she relapsed, and continued her substance abuse with cocaine and alcohol. But after one day of throwing up in the limo, she decided to turn her life around and stay sober. She lived in a sober living house for quite a time, and now advocates against glamorizing intoxicants.

          She released her hit single “Skyscraper” in 2011 and published a daily meditation book called Stay Strong: 365 Days a Year to positively treat a day better. She advocates against drug and alcohol abuse, reckless partying, self harm, and hate. She tells people that no matter how they feel, they are beautiful. She has inspired people to tell their story after she dared to tell hers, and helped many souls in getting better from their own issues.

          Lovato is also an advocate for LGBT rights, and was crowned the grand marshal for Los Angeles’s Gay Pride Parade in 2014. She has publicly announced her love for the LGBT community and how even though she was Christian, she knew that Jesus loved everyone and treated them equally. Today, Demi Lovato has been an inspiration to people everywhere: children, teenagers, and adults. She has been an incredible role model to people all around the world.

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage Pregnancy

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about teenage pregnancy. The world is full of teenage girls who have become moms unexpectedly. In the past decade, the rate of teenage pregnancy has risen drastically. Sometimes girls get pregnant on purpose, or they accidentally forget about protection. A baby comes with great responsibility and sometimes teenage parents don’t have that ability. A child might mess up grades, friendships, family and romantic relationships, careers, and future college chances. Adulthood is the perfect time for a child, because it comes with wisdom and responsibility. Not all teenage parents are irresponsible, but most do not know how to care for a baby. It is best for the adults to teach their children the best way.

          Girls have been involved in cases where they forget to put on a condom, or maybe are drunk or high. In other words, they don’t know what they’re doing. There are girls in this world that think they can be fitting parents for a baby at a young age, still in high school and not yet with a stable job. The ones that think they can do this and are confident and responsible enough don’t really know the difficulties of being a parent. Yes, I am thinking about the girls on Maury who claim they have the sufficient sources for a child. But when they do get one, they can’t take care of it.

          However, keep in mind: Never judge a teenage mother or father, no matter their race, gender, nationality, appearance, or age. You do not know the complete story of their lives. Even though in the two above paragraphs, it seems like teenage moms are not responsible, you do not know what really happened. True, there are girls that are naïve or strive to get a baby, but that may not be the case for everything. A teenager can get pregnant by many causes, some even gruesome, such as sexual abuse. Rid of all stereotypes that teenage moms are ‘sluts’ and ‘have sex every day’, because that may not be the case for every girl.

       The Candie’s Foundation is an organization that aims to educate teenagers about the dangers of becoming a teenage parent. They motivate students to think before they act and use protection. They send campaigns across schools to teach girls about the responsibility about having a child. But they do this uniquely. They use celebrities to expose parenthood and advocate against it to catch teenagers’ attention.

          A lot of girls are pressured into having sex. When this happens, usually a baby is accidentally formed. It could be forced, or they decide it in consolation for their partner. Sometimes, the boyfriend is peer pressured into having sex with his girlfriend, so both ways can happen. A girl or guy might not be ready to take such a huge step in a relationship, and irresponsibility comes with it. Sometimes, people peer pressure themselves because everyone else is doing it. However, not everyone else is doing it. They might boast about it, but in truth, they might not be sexually active. In fact, STDs can spread when people are not careful, like the HIV, which causes the deadly disease of AIDS.

          Preventing pregnancy is the best way to, well, prevent it. Abstinence is the number one choice, but everyone knows that doesn’t always work. Condoms are a common way for protection. It acts like a balloon, and wraps around the genitals of either partner. It prevents the sperm into reaching the womb, where fertilization takes place. Birth control pills are the second choice, for girls. The female takes a pill every day to delay the ovulation. If the female forgets to take it for one day, she can get pregnant a few days later.

          When a teenager gets pregnant, she panics. Fortunately, for U.S. citizens, the government formed a law called the Safe Haven Law. This allows babies to be legally dropped off at an adoption center, hospital, or other “drop-off area”. This only applies to parents that haven’t abused or neglected their child before. The parent and child are given the same bracelets, so if the mother wants to reclaim him or her, it’s possible. The Safe Haven Law can be a less stressing choice than to just leave the baby on the street, so some do take this choice. Just remember to think wisely.

          Finally, there is one way to deal with a baby. This choice is disputed whether it is moral or immoral, based on common sense, science, or religion. It is abortion. Abortion is when the mother, while pregnant, kills the baby. Some grabs it by the skull and pulls it out, or they take a pill. Abortion is a serious choice to make. For some girls, it might cause dysfunctions in having children later on in life.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1. Tell someone about it
2. Donate to organizations such as Candie’s Foundation or the Brignoni Foundation (not mentioned here)
3. Take responsibility if you are a teenager pregnant. Choose to keep the baby, give it away as the Safe Haven Law, or abort it.
4. Do not give in to peer pressure
5. Adopt a child
6. Use protection at all times
7. Do not judge others

Be careful on future teen pregnancies!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Divorce

Divorce

            Hello, this is IGL and this post is about divorce. Divorce is when two parents decide to legally separate, and to be called exes. Divorce happens every day everywhere for many reasons. It could be financial issues, abuse, or alcoholism (see previous post for more about alcoholic parents). In other words, the parents don’t agree on certain things such as disputed actions, behavior, and seldom times looks.

Children involved in the parents’ relationship may feel torn apart between them. Heartache and depression may result upon an unwanted divorce between two parents. When two parents fight, they develop feelings of hate towards each other. After that, they file for divorce and sign the papers. But who will get custody of the offspring? That matter depends in court, and a parent may keep the child, and the other may receive visitation rights. Sometimes parents can’t see the child at all.

Divorce is becoming more common every day. Even back then, during the times of kings, they would divorce their wife just to marry new wives in hopes of creating a male child instead of female ones. It is understood today that the gender of a child is determined by the mother and father’s traits, not by the ability of the mother.

Children encounter when their parents are through a divorce. Often times, the child blames him or herself for the separation. It is usually unexpected for a divorce to happen, but they inflict the emotional pain on themselves. It is NEVER a child’s fault for a divorce. It was the parents’ decision and the child has nothing to do with it. If you are a child in a divorce, it may be hard to believe, but you are never the cause of a divorce.

Divorce is a heavy weight on a person’s shoulders. Divorce Care is one example of an organization that helps people through divorce. Divorce Care is a foundation aimed towards the adult through a divorce, showing what joys and happiness can be in life. Don’t let a divorce bring you down. Besides Divorce Care, the Children 1^st Foundation is aimed towards the children through a divorce, discussing the needed care for a child, such as child support, visitation arrangements, and custody.

There are many ways to help. You could:

1.     Tell someone if you are going through a divorce

2.    Tell a child that it is never their fault for their parents’ divorce

3.    If you have depression, seek therapeutic help

4.    Talk to your parents about their relationship issues.

Help the people going through divorce!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL

Alcoholic Parents

Alcoholic Parents

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about alcoholic parents. Many families have children with adult parents that are addicted to drinking alcohol. This may cause many family issues and problems, and tear many relationships apart. Alcohol controls the mind and body. It changes people’s moods and instead fuel aggressiveness, causing dramatic mood swings, when people have too much. This is called being drunk. Even though it leads to such bad effects, the person has to have it because they’re addicted.

          Alcohol, leading to unwanted incidents, can bring harm and emotional pain to others. Parents may argue over something small and they can eventually stop cooperation in becoming fatherly or motherly. Drunken people can physically harm children through their aggressive and nonsensical actions. Persisting alcoholism can lead to divorce, tearing the child apart. Keep in mind, this is the alcohol’s doing, not the parent’s for the most part.

          Many times, children may blame themselves for the alcoholic doings. A parent’s alcoholism is never the child’s fault. Reasons such as money and business may drive a parent to wine or beer, but the child/children are never the cause of such actions. If you are someone just as I described above, it may be hard for you to believe me, but you should never take the blame for an alcoholic parent.

         The Center on Addiction and Family is a part of the Phoenix House organized for helping families with alcoholic issues and professional information to recover. They teach these dysfunctional families on health and positive influences and strength. To spread their cause, they write articles which can be easily read on their website.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1.     Tell someone about alcoholism in families

2.    Write an article for the newspaper or post a flyer

3.    If you are a victim of alcoholic parents, tell someone and get professional, therapeutic help

4.    Tell yourself and others that it is not their fault for an alcoholic parent

5.    Donate to the Center on Addiction and Family organization

Make a change for alcoholic parents!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL