Abandon by her father at a young age, this celebrity has had to overcome many of the same emotional challenges that we see in adopted children. Demi Lovato – actress, musician, and new judge of popular TV series X Factor – has been in the Hollywood spotlight for quite some time regarding her continuous struggle with self-image. She has been very open to the media about her battle with anorexia and bulimia, and has become a positive role model for many young women around the world, myself included. What the media doesn’t tell us about her broken family, we can learn through her music.
Starting out, Demi’s targeted audience was primarily children, and you may know her from the Disney Channel’s “Camp Rock” and “Sunny with a Chance”. But most recently she has gained a more mature audience, which has allowed her to be more intimate in her song writing.
Earlier this year I received her latest album titled “Unbroken” as a gift. Although I have always been a fan of her music, this album reveals a more vulnerable side to Demi, and allowed me to connect with her music on a new level. In particular, I related most with a song titled, “For The Love Of A Daughter”.
“Don’t you remember I’m your baby girl?
How could you push me out of your world, lie to your flesh and your blood, put your hands on the ones that you swore you loved?
So young when the pain had begun, now forever afraid of being loved.
Oh father, please father, put the bottle down for the love of a daughter.”
As you can see from the lyrics above, the song reveals how Demi has never been close with her father, an alcoholic, who left the family when she was a child. We see through Demi’s public struggle with eating disorders and self-image issues, that the absence of her father has had a huge impact on her. This just goes to show that there is not enough money or fame that can fix what she has gone through. She tells herself and her fans to stay strong, and even has those words tattooed on her wrists.
Every time I listen to this song, my heart breaks for the millions of orphans around the world who also endure the pain of not having a loving father. More specifically, I remind myself that my very own sisters were once those orphans, who were taken away from their neglectful and alcoholic parents. Yet having the privilege to work for such a dedicated adoption agency like MLJ Adoptions, and see firsthand all the hard work and devotion that goes in to assisting families through the adoption process, I rejoice that there is hope for those children. We don’t always know what these children have had to endure, and although they may never forget their troubled past, they will always have the love of their new families to help them stay strong.
To learn more about Demi’s story, watch Stay Strong, an MTV Special documentary. Be sure to check out her albums, all available on iTunes.
Photo Credit: Trendyjend
For more information about MLJ Adoptions’ international adoption programs, please click here.
Jordan Kelly
Jordan Kelly is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business where she majored in Marketing. As an assistant at MLJ Adoptions, Jordan does everything from event planning and managing social media, to writing blogs and designing advertisements.
Jordan Kelly
Jordan Kelly is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business where she majored in Marketing. As an assistant at MLJ Adoptions, Jordan does everything from event planning and managing social media, to writing blogs and designing advertisements.