Kids Caught Middle When You Fight

By Stephanie O’Neill,
Special to LifeScript
July 1, 2009

Madonna and Guy Ritchie. Christie Brinkley and Peter Cook. Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. Celebrity divorces may be juicy gossip, but the toll on them and their kids can be similar to what non-celebrity families experience.

These high-stakes splits serve to draw attention to a hotly debated form of emotional child abuse known as “parental alienation.” Mental health experts say such abuse occurs when one parent alienates a child against the other parent. It’s most apparent as a byproduct of hostile divorces, though it often starts in high-conflict marriages. How can you protect your child from a vindictive parent… or you?

We asked Dr. Richard Warshak, author of Divorce Poison (HarperCollins, 2001)…This phenomon reached its public peak in the Baldwin-Basinger custody battle, in which Baldwin famously left his daughter a voicemail message in which he called her a “rude, thoughtless little pig.” Basinger’s lawyers claimed the message was evidence of his inability to parent their pre-teen daughter. Baldwin, on the other hand, claimed his inappropriate words grew out of extreme frustration at his ex-wife’s long-term campaign to destroy his relationship with his daughter. In a public apology on his Web site, he wrote:

“I’m sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. You have to go through this to understand…”

If you’ve been through a divorce or a polarized marriage, it’s very likely that you’ve been either the perpetrator or the target of parental alienation on some level. But what exactly does that mean?

Given little attention until recent years, parental alienation is now recognized by a growing number of psychologists and courts as a form of emotional child abuse. Parents can commit it consciously or subconsciously, and it ranges in degree from mild (complaints to a child about a parent) to extreme and ongoing (severe, systematic brainwashing).

“What is washed out of their brains is any awareness of positive, loving feelings for a parent,” writes Warshak, an international parental alienation expert. “All that remains is a catalog of complaints … about a parent who, in the past, had been a source of love and comfort.”

When extreme vindictiveness by one parent toward another gets re-directed through the children they share, it can have devastating effects not only on children and parents, but on the extended family, too.

Warshak explains that when parents use their children as agents in a systematic campaign to destroy each other (most common during high-conflict custody battles), the consequences are nothing short of devastating. They often last well into the child’s adult life. He estimates that several million people are now victims of parental alienation and that the numbers are growing.

 

Common Traits of Alienation
While experts in the field continue to debate treatment, they agree on these four hallmarks of seriously alienated children under the influence of a vindictive parent.

1. The child displays disrespectful behavior.
Children may stop greeting or talking to the targeted parent, avoid eye contact and shun the parent and his or her family members. They may also disregard rules and boundaries set by the targeted parent.

In more serious cases, Warshak says, the child may go so far as to spit on a parent, act violently toward the parent and show disrespect by calling the targeted parent by their first name rather than “Mom” or “Dad.” The child may also show uncharacteristically high levels of contempt and cruelty to the alienated parent. Warshak says that the alienating parent typically promotes this behavior by championing it as the child’s right to express himself or herself.

 

2. The child’s behavior contrasts sharply with his or her past behavior.
Parental alienation is most obvious in cases where a child and parent have had a warm, loving relationship that for no rational reason ends or deteriorates severely. This is different from children who have a longstanding poor relationship with a parent or who have good cause to break ties with a parent, neither of which suggests parental alienation. “In some cases when children reject a parent they are doing so because of that parent’s behavior… and the child has a good reason,” Warshak tells LifeScript.

 

3. There is no rational basis for the behavior change.
“When you ask the children why they are behaving differently, they give very trivial reasons that just don’t add up,” Warshak says. In his book, he gives an example of a child who became estranged from her mother because the mother was “always telling me to brush my teeth.”

In the most extreme cases, children are encouraged by an alienating parent to lob unfounded allegations of abuse. A 1999 Florida Law Review article, citing a study of 700 high-conflict divorces over 12 years, found alienating parents commonly engaged in allegations of emotional abuse “presumably because physical abuse leaves visible evidence. It is, of course, much easier to falsely accuse someone of something that leaves no physical sign and has no third-party witnesses,” the article noted.

 

4. The child fears angering or wants to protect an alienating parent.
Alienating parents often overtly or covertly control the child by withholding love and approval or by playing the victim who needs protection from the other parent. The motivations and techniques are numerous, Warshak says, and they cross gender lines.

“If there is one underlying unity among parents who do this to children, it’s that they seem unwilling or unable to inhibit destructive behavior,” Warshak says. Often an alienating parent’s preoccupation with hurting the ex-spouse – or the spouse within a marriage – supercedes all rational behavior. “It’s as if they don’t have a clear sense that what their children need is different than what they need.”

What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted As a Parent You may feel tempted to lash back at a child whom you believe is being disrespectful and hurtful toward you. But as Baldwin – who was blocked from contacting his daughter after his outburst – learned, that’s the wrong thing to do.

 

1. Keep your cool.

“Getting angry with the child … is an understandable reaction because parents are not prepared for the level of mistreatment and contempt [from their child],” Warshak says. But not only is it hurtful to your child, it also confirms the message the alienating parent is giving him or her.

 

2. Drop the lectures.
When a child is programmed by one parent to disrespect the other, lectures on proper behavior fall on deaf ears. Worse, they diminish the time you could spend enjoying each other’s company. Minimize the attention you pay to your child’s poor behavior; instead, focus on positive things.

 

3. Acknowledge your child’s feelings.
When a child expresses emotions you suspect were planted by the other parent, don’t dismiss his or her feelings. It will only entrench the child’s alienation. Chances are, he’ll claim the feelings are his or her own and not the other parent’s. Instead, Warshak suggests, acknowledge the feelings when the child expresses them, but don’t allow them to take center stage. Respond by saying something like, “I can see that you don’t want to be here. But what can we do today that will be fun for both of us?”

 

4. Remain calm.
If your child tells you bad things your spouse or ex-spouse has said about you, don’t get upset and don’t bad-mouth him in return. Talking trash about parents scars children. Calmly ask children how they feel about the comments they heard and tell them you understand how painful and stressful it can be to hear such talk.

 

5. Don’t under-react.
“Many parents, following the advice of a therapist, will under-react by allowing children to repeat lies about [them],” Warshak says. A better solution: Help your child deal with the untruths and maintain as much custody time as possible with him or her.

“It’s important to express love and affection, despite the child’s denigration,” Warshak says. “Children who later reconcile [with the targeted parent] say the thing that helped them was to know that the parent never gave up on them despite how horribly [the targeted parent] was mistreated.”

Want to learn more? Get your own copy of Divorce Poison.

 

Are Your Kids Caught Between You and Your Ex?

There are few things more painful than losing a child to an angry ex-spouse intent on revenge at any cost. But identifying the signs of parental alienation and taking the correct action will help you avoid making matters worse. Take this parenting quiz to find out how to best protect you and your kids.

Source: Life Script

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

14 Year Old Girl Water for 13 hours

By AP
July 1, 2009

 

MORONI, Comoros –  A French official says the 14-year-old girl who is the only known survivor of a crashed Yemeni jetliner is headed home to Paris after being hospitalized in the Comoros with a fractured collarbone.

French minister Alain Joyandet said Wednesday that Bahia Bakari left this island nation on a chartered executive jet.

The Yemenia Airbus 310 jet was carrying 153 people when it went down in howling winds early Tuesday in the sea north of the Comoros Islands.

She is expected to be hospitalized immediately in Paris.

Despite a fractured collarbone, the teenage girl clung to the wreckage of the plane for more than 13 hours before rescuers found her floating in the Indian Ocean.

French officials late Wednesday retracted claims that one of the plane’s black boxes had been found. French Commander Bertrand Mortemard de Boisse told The Associated Press that a signal detected from the debris of Yemenia Flight IY626 was from a distress beacon and not from one of the plane’s black boxes.

The flight data and cockpit voice recorders in those black boxes are crucial to help investigators determine the cause of the crash off this former French colony.

An Associated Press reporter saw 14-year-old Bahia Bakari in a Comoros hospital Wednesday as she was visited by government officials. She was conscious with bruises on her face and gauze bandages on her right elbow and right foot. Her hair was pulled back and she was covered by a blue blanket but she gamely shook the hand of Alain Joyandet, France’s minister for international cooperation.

Her uncle, Joseph Yousouf, said Bahia also had a fracture on her collarbone.

“It is a true miracle. She is a courageous young girl,” Joyandet said, adding that Bahia held onto a piece of the plane from 1:30 a.m Tuesday to 3:00 p.m., then signaled a passing boat, which rescued her.

“She really showed an absolutely incredible physical and moral strength,” he said. “She is physically out of danger, she is evidently very traumatized.”

The girl was traveling with her mother, who is feared dead. They had left Paris on Monday night to see family in the Comoros.

“She’s asking for her mother,” Yousouf told the AP. For fear of upsetting Bahia, Yousouf told her that her mother is in the room next door.

Joyandet said the girl would be flown back to France on Wednesday night and put in a Paris hospital upon arrival. Two ambulances were seen leaving the hospital later Wednesday, and Bahia was believed to be on board.

The passengers were flying the last leg of a journey from Paris and Marseille to Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes. Most of the passengers were from Comoros, sixty-six were French citizens.

The girl’s father told French radio that his oldest daughter could “barely swim” but managed to hang on. Kassim Bakari, who spoke with his oldest daughter by phone, said Bahia was ejected and found herself beside the plane.

“She couldn’t feel anything, and found herself in the water. She heard people speaking around her but she couldn’t see anyone in the darkness,” Bakari said on France’s RTL radio. “She’s a very timid girl, I never thought she would escape like that.”

Sgt. Said Abdilai told Europe 1 radio that Bahia was too weak to grasp the life ring rescuers threw to her, so he jumped into the sea to get her. He said rescuers gave the trembling girl warm water with sugar.

Said Mohammed, a nurse at El Mararouf hospital in the Comoros capital of Moroni, said the girl was doing well.

The crash a few miles off this island nation came two years after aviation officials reported equipment faults with the plane, an aging Airbus 310 flying the last leg of a Yemenia airlines flight from Paris and Marseille to the Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes.

A top French official said the Airbus 310 crashed in deep water nine miles north of the Comoran coast and 21 miles from the Moroni airport.

The French air accident investigation agency BEA was sending a team of safety investigators and Airbus experts to Comoros, an archipelago of three main islands 1,800 miles south of Yemen, between Africa’s southeastern coast and the island of Madagascar.

A respected pilots group, the London-based International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association, said the plane may have been attempting a go-around in rough weather for another approach when it hit the sea.

The 9,558-feet long runway at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport on Moroni island is adequate for modern airliners. But the airport is considered a difficult one for pilots due to prevailing weather conditions and hills to the east of the runway. Some airlines provide special training to pilots who need to fly in there.

Pilots coming in from the north also must land their planes visually and don’t have any all-weather instrument landing system to help them.

“The field in question is thought of as being challenging, and certain operators consider it a daytime-only airport,” said Gideon Ewers of the London-based pilots’ association.

The Yemenia plane was trying to land in the dark, about 1:30 in the morning, amid bad weather.

French and American teams carried out rescue operations Wednesday, fighting heavy seas. Abdul-Khaleq al-Qadi, chairman of Yemenia’s board, said the black boxes, once retrieved, will be taken to France for analysis.

Rescue boats plied the waters north of the main island and scores of people gathered on nearby beaches to watch.

“The search is continuing,” Joyandet said. “No other survivors have been found.”

A French military cargo plane flew over a zone 50 miles north of Grand Comoros Island, while two inflatable dinghies sent by French forces on La Reunion island combed waters closer to the coast.

“The sea is pretty rough at the present time, the wind is blowing hard and the drift is strong … there are any survivors, the bodies of the victims and the debris are drifting rapidly towards the north,” said Christophe Prazuck, spokesman for the French military.

Col. Dominique Fontaine, who is managing the rescue operations, said that no other plane debris has been found so far.

A tug arrived from the French island of Mayotte to recover survivors, corpses and debris, and a French frigate and another military ship headed to the scene.

The tragedy prompted an outcry in Comoros, where residents have long complained of a lack of seat belts on Yemenia flights and planes so overcrowded that passengers had to stand in the aisles.

French aviation inspectors found a “number of faults” in the plane’s equipment during a 2007 inspection, French Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau said. European Union Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani said the airline had previously met EU safety checks but would now face a full investigation.

Al-Qadi said Yemenia airlines has decided to give the victims’ families $28,300 for each victim, describing it as “a preliminary decision.” The company also will pay for one person from each family to fly to Moroni to witness the search and rescue operation.

Disputing the French claim, he said maintenance was carried out regularly according to high standards.

“The crash has nothing to do with maintenance,” he told reporters in San’a, adding that the aircraft received maintenance just two months before under the supervision of an Airbus technical team.

“The company has been working for 42 years … what happened was out of (anyone’s) control,” al-Qadi said.

Airbus said the plane went into service 19 years ago, in 1990, and had accumulated 51,900 flight hours. It has been operated by Yemenia since 1999.

Source: Fox News

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Nearly $6.5 million awarded

By Fisher House/PIO
July 1, 2009

Fisher House Foundation now sponsors a scholarship program for military spouses. The program is administered by the National Military Family Association.

Commissaries are an integral part of the quality of life offered to service members and their families. The Scholarships for Military Children Program was created in recognition of the contributions of military families to the readiness of the fighting force and to celebrate the role of the commissary in the military family community. It is the intent of the program that a scholarship funded through contributions be awarded annually for each commissary operated by the Defense Commissary Agency worldwide.

The Scholarships for Military Children Program is funded through the generosity of manufacturers and suppliers whose products are sold at military commissaries, worldwide. We encourage military families to take advantage of their commissary benefits that not only provide a savings of more than 30 percent on the products purchased, but also support the military community through programs such as this scholarship. The purchase of products from these companies fund the scholarship program.

The Fisher House^TM Foundation is honored to be involved with the Scholarships for Military Children Program. Fisher House^TM Foundation provides a “Home Away from Home” near military medical centers for families experiencing a personal medical crisis and is one of the premiere quality of life organizations supporting military families. The Foundation volunteered to underwrite the administration of this program.

One $1500 will be awarded at every commissary location where qualified applications are received. More than one scholarship per commissary may be available based on response and funding. The scholarship provides for payment of tuition, books, lab fees and room and board.

Learn more at www.militaryscholar.org

Source: Fisher House

Editor’ Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

The 6 Things That Can Hurt Others

By Grandparents/PIO
July 1, 2009

 

Even well-intentioned grandparents can put their feet in their mouths. We’ve identified six of the absolute worst things a grandparent can say, along with tips for saying the right thing at the right time.

 

1. I have the perfect name for the baby!

You may have strong feelings about your expected grandchild’s name, but don’t demand that the parents follow your request; it’s bound to result in conflict. However, if you have a compelling reason for suggesting a name, such as a family tradition, or honoring a relative who was important to you, there are ways to bring it up nonconfrontationally.

 

 

2. You’re doing it wrong!

Variations on this theme include: “That’s not how I used to do it!” and “You really shouldn’t do that!” The “it” or “that” can be anything from giving a newborn a bath to washing a toddler’s clothes to disciplining a preschooler. Remember, your adult children still think of you as Mom or Dad, and your disapproval is perceived as criticism, just as it was when they were kids. Find out how to voice your opinions in a more constructive way.

 

 

3. You have to spend the holidays here!

Putting a guilt trip on your kids and their spouses is never a good idea, especially around the holidays. They are probably feeling enough stress about where to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays for a number of reasons, including the cost; the difficulty of traveling with young children; which spouse’s “turn” it is to see family; and the urge to plan a getaway of their own. Follow these tips to avoid anxiety and make the best of the situation.

 

 

4. You’re going to let them eat THAT?

Your children have put some serious thought into how to feed their kids, and your criticizing their decisions may invite a knee-jerk, hostile response. Put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would have reacted if your parents had criticized how you fed your kids when they were growing up. Instead of making your adult children second-guess themselves, serve your grandkids the foods you think are best for them when they come visit. They may just turn out to like them and ask their parents to offer them the same dishes.

 

 

5. What do you mean, ‘No baptism’?

A religious rite of passage like a baptism or a bris can be a beautiful way to uphold a tradition and welcome a baby into the world – if the parents choose to do it. But only your grandchildren’s parents can determine the child’s religious upbringing, and if you want to avoid uncomfortable clashes that could lead to your being locked out of holiday celebrations in the years ahead, you must respect their decisions. If this frustrates you, our therapist suggests some ways to deal.

 

6. Don’t be so uptight!

The best part of being a grandparent is that you get to break the rules. When you watch the kids, you can let them eat junk food, stay up late, watch TV, and generally do whatever makes them happy. Could you imagine taking this attitude all the time if they were your own kids? Neither can their parents. Let them set the rules for everyday life.

Have YOU ever said anything on this list? Think we left something out? Join the discussion!

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

 

Does Michael Jackson’s Kids Stay with Grandparents?

by Jackie Albanese
June 30, 2009

 

As the world reacts to the King of Pop’s death, Michael Jackson’s kids stay with their grandma, Katherine. After Michael Jackson’s death at age 50 on June 25, many fans around the world asked: What will happen to his children now? Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, told AccessHollywood.com that the late superstar’s three kids were staying with Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, 79, in her Encino, Calif., home, under the care of their nanny.

In a later interview with Meredith Vieira on NBC’s Today, Jackson’s longtime manager, Frank Dileo, said, “Right now, I would think that’s where they would stay.” It may not be that simple. As Oxman acknowledged, “I’m sure there will be all kinds of discussions that will take place about the kids.”

The Jackson children – Prince Michael, 12; Paris, 11; and Prince Michael II (known as Blanket), 7 – will likely stay with his mother, a grandmother of 27, for now. On June 29, Mrs. Jackson formally filed papers to be named the legal guardian of all three children. Some had wondered if Debbie Rowe, Jackson’s ex-wife who gave birth to Prince Michael and Paris, might seek custody as well. (Blanket’s mother is a surrogate whose identity is unknown.)

But then Rowe, in an interview with a British newspaper, claimed that Jackson is not the biological father of either child; she was artificially inseminated, but not by the singer, although she gave the children to him. In the same interview, she claimed to have no plans to seek custody.

According to family sources quoted by People magazine after Jackson’s death, Rowe has had little contact with the children in recent years. Jackson was raising the children on his own; they often traveled with him and they were being home-schooled by tutors.

“The sweetest, happiest kids you could imagine” That’s how the children’s godfather, longtime Jackson friend and former child actor Mark Lester, describes them. Lester told Matt Lauer of Today that he believed the extended Jackson family would play a part in raising the kids:

“I would imagine his mother, sisters [and] brothers would rally around and care for the children … The Jackson family is a very large family, and in times of need, families get together and put aside differences.” With a potentially explosive battle looming not only over their custody but over Jackson’s estate, assets, and debts, the children will need some stability and security, and hopefully their grandmother can provide that.

The death of a parent – especially, as in this case, the only parent a child knows well – can be devastating to a child. Grandparents.com’s Ask the Therapist columnist, Susan Stiffelman, says grandparents can be an enormous help in times of tragedy:

“Grandchildren’s reactions are largely influenced by observing how their grandparents and others near and dear to them cope during and after the events, and by having the opportunity to freely express [themselves].” In such situations, grandparents should resist the temptation to try to keep kids from dealing with uncomfortable emotions during this time. “No one wants children to have to face the loss of death,” says Kathleen McCue, M.A., director of children’s programs at The Gathering Place, a Cleveland-based cancer support center.

“But when it enters into a child’s life, there is an opportunity to teach him or her about grief, how to cope, and how to go on with life in times of mourning.” Karen Deerwester, a family therapist and parent educator for FamilyTime Inc., a coaching and consulting firm specializing in parent/child development, agrees, and advises grandparents, “Talk about [other] loved ones who have died – your grandchild’s great-great-grandparents, a sibling, or a friend. ” Share photos and stories that celebrate the lives of the deceased.

“By sharing your experience of getting through the sadness of death,” she says, “your grandchildren will see the love they have and the memories they share with a person can continue after death.”

Source: Grandparents

Editor’s Note: We want to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Teen Collects Shoes for Poor Children

by Bal Harbour /PIO
June 30, 2009

Bal Harbour Village, FL – A Bal Harbour teenager who led a shoe drive for needy children in the Dominican Republic over-achieved his goal: With the help of family members and local leaders, Bennett Blachar collected thousands of pairs of shoes.

”We collected much more than I ever hoped for,” said Bennett, 17. ”This could not have happened without everyone’s help.”

Bennett, the son of Bal Harbour’s assistant mayor, Joni Blachar, collected 3,000 pairs of shoes — about three-times what he had expected.

The soon-to-be senior at Ransom Everglades sealed the final cases of shoes at the Tremont Towing facility in Miami Beach two weeks ago. The containers are being shipped to the Caribbean island and should arrive next week.

Bennett thought of the idea after vacationing with his family in the Dominican Republic. He was inspired after he took a bike ride through a village and noticed several children walking barefoot.

Bal Harbour Police Officer Madeleine Orr said she was moved by his efforts.

”We are always wondering what the youth is doing,” Orr said. ”To get somebody like this who is reaching out and trying to get help is just amazing to have that kind of a character.”

The shoe drive started last October. People donated all types off shoes, including dress shoes — but mostly more sensible footwear, such as athletic sneakers, running shoes and basketball high-tops.

Bennett contacted the Rev. Albert Moses James of the Iglesia Evangelica Dominicana in the Dominican Republic. Bennett, whose family sailed to the island aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, heard of the church after contacting an employee from the cruise line.

The church will distribute the donations to needy people in the province of Samaná on the northeastern coast of the island.

Bennett got a helping hand from local police departments. The Bal Harbour, Surfside and Bay Harbor Islands departments let the teen use their police stations as collection sites. The Church by the Sea in Bal Harbour, Tremont Towing and Miami Beach City Hall also accepted donations. Luis Salom of Miami Beach donated the cost of shipping.

Bennett dedicated months to get the community involved. He passed out fliers and asked his high school cross-country teammates to donate pairs of shoes. Bennett himself donated a couple of pairs of shoes.

Ed Gonzalez, owner of Tremont Towing, says it’s important to lend a hand to those in need.

”It’s not a matter of donations. It’s really about the kids over there that have no shoes,” Gonzalez said. ”We are all friends just trying to do the right thing.”

Bennett says he knows the children will be jubilant once they see the shoes, and he plans to have another shoe drive next year, but perhaps to help needy children in another country or here in his own.

”I can’t imagine when all this stuff gets off the boat what on earth they are going to be thinking,” he said.

 

Editor’a Note: This story ran in the Miami Herald on June 10. Bennett is still accepting athletic, dress and practical shoes. To donate, contact Tremont Towing at 305-962-6243.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Miami Herald and Bal Harbor Police

Oceans of Trash – Kids Help with Cleanup

By Dante A. Ciampaglia
June 29, 2009

Litter isn’t just a problem in local parks and on sidewalks. It’s also threatening the health of the Earth’s oceans.

According a report released earlier this month by the United Nations (UN), our oceans are filling up with trash. The garbage gets into the oceans when people litter. Some boaters and beachgoers throw their trash directly into the water.

Trash also gets thrown into rivers that flow into oceans. In fact, most ocean trash comes from rivers. In Australia, for example, 80 percent of ocean trash comes from waterways far from the sea.

The biggest concern about ocean trash is that most of it is plastic. In some places, nearly 80 percent of the ocean trash that has been collected is made of plastic, according to the UN report.

Plastic can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, or break down into smaller parts, once it’s thrown away. So all of the plastic that ends up in the ocean sticks around for a really long time. These plastic products get caught in ocean currents and end up in large “garbage patches” in the water. One of these garbage patches is about the size of Texas, according to scientists.

Danger to All

People rarely see these garbage patches because they are created in areas of the ocean far away from land. But they pose a big problem for both humans and wildlife.

Plastic and other junk that ends up in the ocean can wash up on beaches. This can be harmful to birds and other animals that live on the shore. Seagulls are one example. If plastic gets mixed in with the food that these birds eat, it can hurt their stomachs.

Humans can be affected by beach trash as well. Some plastic objects can have sharp or jagged edges. People who walk barefoot on the beach could cut themselves on trash hidden in the sand. Also, trash can carry germs that make people sick.

Plastic can be deadly for animals that live in the ocean. For example, turtles and seals think plastic bags floating in the ocean are jellyfish. The turtles and seals swallow the bags. That can cause the animals to choke, drown, or starve.

How to Help

Without urgent action, the UN says in its report, the ocean trash problem will only get worse. The report suggests several ways to address the problem. These solutions include better enforcement of littering laws and creation of programs to raise awareness of the problem.

What can individuals do to solve this problem? They can drink from reusable water bottles. They can use cloth grocery bags instead of plastic ones. People can also volunteer with groups that clean up beaches and rivers.

One of the largest volunteer groups is Ocean Conservancy. In 2008, 400,000 Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected 6.8 million pounds of trash from beaches. By doing that, the volunteers kept the trash from getting into the oceans.

The problem of ocean trash “is entirely preventable,” Ocean Conservancy spokesman Tom McCann told the news organization CNN. “It’s something we can solve ourselves.”

Source: Scholastic News Online

Editor’s Note: We Would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Scruff’s Steps for Getting Along

By McGruff and Scruff
June 24, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept. In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books.

Stop, look, and listen: Check yourselves out. Are either of you too upset to deal with the conflict right now? First, calm down by counting to 10, taking some deep breaths, or doing whatever works best for you.

What’s the problem?: Investigate the facts. What exactly is the problem? Take turns describing the problem to each other. Each of you may be talking about a different problem.

Rack your brains: Think of as many ways as you can to solve your problem. Remember, there is always more than one solution to any conflict. Write them down. Don’t worry about whether all your ideas are good.

Use your judgment: Now is the time to judge which solution is best. Look at each one and think about the consequences. What might happen if you were to chose a certain idea? Is that particular choice one that will get you what you need? Will you both be happy with this way of handling things?

Make a plan: Figure out how to carry out your solution to the problem. What do each of you need to do?

Forward ho!: Move forward and set your plan into motion. Congratulate yourselves. Decide that you will talk sometime soon about how well your plan worked.

Source: McGruff

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Childproofing New House

By Keep Kids Healthy
June 28, 2009
Most people start thinking about childproofing their house once their child is crawling, walking and becoming a lot more mobile.

However, if you are moving into or building a new house, now could be a good time to start childproofing. Building a ‘safe’ home can help to save you time and money later once you move in and have to start childproofing.

Of course, new homes are generally safer than older homes. You don’t have to worry about lead paint, new appliances likely have more safety features than older ones, including gararge door openers, and ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) help prevent electrocution.

Still, there are some ‘features’ of newer homes that make them harder to childproof. Among these trends in home building include:

• the use of lever type door handles
• installation of a lot of electric outlets (often 3-4 per room)
• more open designs that make the home seem bigger, but make it more difficult to limit your child’s movement around the house with gates, etc.

If you keep in mind that one of the basics of childproofing is restricting access to parts of your house that aren’t childproof, you can see why these above trends might make it harder to make your home safe.

Door Knobs

If you have a typical round door knob, simple plastic door knob covers can keep your toddler and preschool age children out of rooms that aren’t childproof, restrict unsupervised access to the bathroom, etc., and keep your kids from leaving the house, but it is still easy for older kids and adults to open the doors.

Unfortunately, these types of door knob covers can’t be used with lever type door handles. Instead, you have to install an overhead door latch, which are more expensive and difficult to install than door knob covers and would also keep your older kids or shorter family members from opening the door if they can’t reach the top of the door to move the latch.

If you are building a new home, unless you don’t have younger kids, aren’t planning to have children, and won’t be having younger children visit, you might ask to have standard round door knobs installed. If the house is already built, ask to have the knobs replaced or ask to be compensated for changing them yourself.

 

Electric Outlets

With the regular use of ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), your child is safer and less likely to get electrocuted in a new home.

And the trend to have more electric outlets in each room makes it less likely that you will have electric and appliance cords going all over the room or that outlets will be overloaded.

So maybe it is a good idea to have a lot of outlets in a room. Just remember to place outlet covers on all of the electric outlets that aren’t in use.

 

Safety Gates

Fortunately, even in a home with a very open design, you can usually limit your child’s access to stairs and rooms that aren’t childproof with the use of safety gates and safety gate extensions.
Hot Water Heater

Make sure that you understand how to set your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) to prevent scalding burns. This will help to reduce the approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths that occur in the home each year due to scalding from excessively hot tap water.

 

Window Blind Loops

Children can become strangled in window blind cord loops, so make sure that if you are installing window binds, that they don’t have loops.

 

Smoke Alarms and CO Detectors

New homes all come with smoke alarms, but builders often leave out carbon monoxide detectors. To be safe, you should install a carbon monoxide detector/alarm in the hallway near every separate sleeping area of the home, especially if your home has any non-electric appliances, including a gas furnace, range, fireplace, water heater, or room heaters, or if you have an attached garage, in which you might, but shouldn’t, leave a running car.

 
Your New ‘Safe’ Home Moving into a new home is exciting.

Just be sure to plan for the safety needs of children when buying and moving into your new home. See our childproofing guide for more safety tips.
Source: Keep Kids Healthy
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Truly Unbelievable Animal Rescue

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