We are smack dab in the middle of sports minded world and  no doubt about it we've lost focus on what it means to have our kids participate in sports. For every age, year round and pretty much every where you can find team sports. My son is 3 and could right now care less if he can put a glove on or kick a soccer ball in the goal, wonder what he would think about Flag Football? 3-4 year old sign up starts this week LMAO!! At 3 with the number of obese kids out there, exercise should be the number one  reason  toddler sports and the love of the game will follow. I'm sure there are some kids out there more advanced  than others but who has signed their kid up for a program only to find yourself sitting on the side line every week watching. I know i'm not the only one...all mine wants to do is run, jump and chase which we do everyday at The Park. It's FREE!!!!

 

 

 

There is no excuse for rudness!! to or from a child or an adult.We are on the rim of the  toliet as a society and and ready to jump Who the F!@#! is gonna step up and take control?? To teach our children manners and not racism and hate,  teach our kids to educate themselves and not how to steal and sell dope, rape and murder. As adults  when will it be time to step up and lead by example. Maybe with the manners our parents and grandparents insisted we learn and use we can rescue ourselves from being an entire country of J!@K A@#$S!!!

THAT!!! from a guy i met this morning at while trying to enjoy the park with my son. He talked as if his SH!T didn't stink and beacuse he was a single DAD that the world owed him and his kids something. He pretty much had nothing nice to say about anyone there and i'm sure if i was distant i would have been a sorry s.o.b. as well. I swear everytime i thought i got away here he was ranting. Finally i faked a phone call swooped my lil dude up and was gone.

Does doing what a parent is supposed to do mean you deserve some special treatment, benefits or recognition. I'm starting to see while Men are stepping up to the plate and meeting their obligations while trying to kill the stigmata that MOMS do it better some guys are turning into self centered egotistical pri@!#!! that deserve the world and then some. Maybe intead of trying to convince the world that us DADS can do this maybe we need to convince some DADS to just chill we are doing this and we will better be accepted in a more friendly manner...

 

Every year around this time, our local news is flooded with drownings and near drownings. ALL of which should NEVER have even come near to happening. Sadly, it does.

Every year, I sit and watch, tempted to change the channel or turn off the news altogether, simply because I find it extremely difficult to comprehend. HOW on earth do people lose track of their kids, even for that spilt second? No Clue. Every year, it is the same. Gates left open. No Gates at all. Parents napping while toddler crawls out doggie doors...etc...etc...etc...I will never be one to point fingers, however, I cannot advocate stupidity. We should ALWAYS be watching our kids...regardless of how tired, overworked, busy, etc...ALWAYS!, hoping, praying that this never happens to us, or anyone we know.

So, with that being said, please review the following tips. And remember,

Drowning Threat

In many states, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for children one through four years age.

Children drown in pools, spas, buckets, toilets and bathtubs. A child can drown in as little as two inches of water.

A child can drown in less time than it takes to answer the telephone.

67% of all drowning deaths occur in their own backyard pool, spa or hot tub.

The majority of drowning incidents occur while the caretaker assumed the child was safely indoors.

25% of all children who have drowned or nearly drowned have had swimming lessons.

The risk of a drowning or near drowning is highest during the first six months a family has a pool.

For every drowning, an additional five near drowning cases are treated in the emergency room. Irreversible brain damage occurs in 3 to 5 minutes.

In California there are more than 330 people with irreversible brain damage because of near drowning incidents. Of this total more than 75 people are currently hospitalized at a cost of $120,000 per year for life.

Drowning is a silent killer. The victims don't cry for help. They are not getting enough air to breathe, so they don't have the extra air needed to call for help.

Drowning Prevention Tips

There is no substitute for adequate supervision. Children need to be watched. Never leave children unattended in or around pools or spas - not even for a second.   Although accidents do happen, these particular types can be/should be, minimized!

Access to the pool or spa area should be limited by locked doors, windows and self closing, self latching gates on fences surrounding the pool. Latches should be above the reach of children.

Do not allow children to play in pool areas. Keep toys out of the area.

Keep rescue equipment such as a long handled hook and a ring buoy with a rope hanging near the pool.

Many floatation toys are thought to be lifesavers but they are not! They are only toys and should be used only as toys and with adult supervision.

Install a phone by the pool so you can answer it without leaving children unattended.

Always keep chairs, tables, or toys away from the pool or spa fence to keep children from using them to climb over.

Do not allow anyone of any age to swim alone. Drowning happens to adults too. When you are entertaining a group of children or adults, have a designated pool watcher who is responsible for keeping track of everyone.

Examples of safe water behavior by adults are important for young children.

Always completely remove a pool or spa cover before use to avoid the possibility of anyone being trapped and drowning under the cover.

Have members of the family take a swim class and learn CPR.

Pools Inspection List

Is the fence childproof with bars not more than 4 inches apart? If it is a chain link fence, the diamond shaped opening should be no larger than 1 3/4 inches.

Are the gates self-closing and self-latching? The self latching mechanism should be out of the reach of children. Is the self-latching mechanism at least 54 inches, from the bottom of the gate? If less than 54 inches, the latching mechanism should be located on the pool side of the gate.

Are all the gates kept locked?

Are all exit doors and windows leading from the house to the pool kept locked and secured?

Are pool rules posted in a visible location?

Is rescue equipment kept near the pool? A ring buoy with an attached line and/or a long handled hook.

Is the pool cover completely removed or properly installed? Never use a pool with its pool cover partially in place.

Are steps and ladders leading to an above ground pool secured, locked or removed when the pool is not in use?

Infants at St. Elizabeth's did not wear identification, she told investigators, nor was there any on their cribs. Two staffers ran four separate nurseries, with eight cribs in each, investigators learned. Volunteers, often unfamiliar with the babies, were used to transport them to the Catholic Welfare Bureau for placement.

Catholic Charities acknowledged in 2009 that the mix-up was "tragic." But "we did everything we were required to do," said spokeswoman Lisa Thibeault. She added that the state investigation found "no violations of best adoption practices."

 

As "corrective action," the Department of Children and Families said, Catholic Charities "shall make good faith attempts to assist the three complainants [Ryba, Bloete and Butler] in securing answers to their questions should they request searches." Catholic Charities would also inform the state of its progress, and assume the costs of DNA testing.

None of that happened, according to Ryba. But he was not ready to give up.

It was about then that someone with access to information from the Catholic Charities files contacted Ryba and — in likely violation of New Jersey law — gave him identifying information for the young man who investigators believed was most likely to be his son.

He reached out. The man said his parents were told their baby was the son of a teenage football player and a cheerleader — the same story Bloete's parents had been given. But a DNA test came back negative.

Still Ryba wouldn't quit. His informant had provided another name from the files: Kevin Callaghan of Philadelphia.

So he tracked down a likely Kevin Callaghan, who said he wasn't adopted. But, incredibly, he said his wife worked with another Kevin Callaghan who was. Ryba contacted the wife.

"She thought it was … some type of scam at first," Callaghan said. "Then she told me about Ron's story."

He'd actually read it before, in a version of a Baltimore Sun story from 2009, spotted by an aunt in a local newspaper. Callaghan had dismissed it because the baby described in the story was born Nov. 25, 1975. He'd been told his birth date was Dec. 2.

"I got his email, and we started going back and forth," Callaghan said. His parents had been told their baby was born to a 21-year-old legal secretary and a 26-year-old exterminator. "And my biological parents took me home for a week, and then made the decision to give me up for adoption." It turns out none of that was true.

Callaghan grew up happily in Hamilton, N.J., with two siblings, also adopted, he said. He earned a degree in accounting and works for a pharmaceutical company. He's working on his MBA and lives in Philadelphia.

In the photo he sent Ryba, he seemed to share Ryba's coloring, eyes and hairline, height and weight. And he agreed to DNA testing. It was a match.

"I admire Ron," Callaghan said, "not only for his dedication and persistence … but also his ability to go through the ups and downs of thinking you found your son, only to realize later that you were wrong. Emotionally, it must have been very difficult."

When they met Friday, Ryba asked Callaghan for forgiveness. "I said, 'Were you ever angry at me?' And he said, 'No, I never was. I was always thankful you had the courage to do what you did. … The only alternative was an abortion. You took the harder road.'"

"I felt shame for a long time," Ryba said, "and he absolved me of it, and did it with a smile. … I feel great."

Callaghan has contacted Butler, too. "We are working out the details to meet," he said. Butler declined a request for comment.

Still unresolved are the origins of Philip Bloete, now 35. Ryba said he has some leads on Bloete's birth parents. "We are still working on his information and case," he said.

A high school English teacher in Rockland County, N.Y., Bloete said Friday he's happy for Ryba, and still wants to find his birth parents.

"I'm interested in my birth date for one thing," he said. "Now, when I'm in a restaurant and I hear someone singing 'Happy Birthday' across the way, I almost get resentful. It's a given that everybody knows their birthday. I'd like to know my heritage, and any medical history, now that I have two kids."

Thibeault said that although Catholic Charities has given up its state adoption license because of falling demand for Catholic adoption services, it will continue search and reunion services until June 2012. It will work with Ryba and Bloete "if they make a request for us to do so. To my knowledge, they haven't."

Bloete said, "If they need another one, I'll send them a request every day, for however long it takes."

New Jersey, meanwhile, has moved to loosen its adoption records laws. A measure that makes identifying information in birth records available to adult adoptees was passed in May, despite opposition from legal groups who argue that it violates the privacy of birth parents, and from the Catholic Bishops Conference and others who fear it will encourage women to choose abortions instead of adoption. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Catholic whose sister is adopted, has until June 23 to sign or veto it.

Ryba hopes his years-long quest will give others the courage to search for their children or their birth parents.

"It's worth it," he said. "Maybe some legislators will read this story and realize it's wrong to withhold information from anybody. That's the best I can give back to the people that helped me."

frank.roylance@baltsun.com

http://twitter.com/froylance

Copyright © 2011, The Baltimore Sun

I know today's the day to celebrate Dads but some things are just so disturbing they have to be faced head on.

A new study from the National Fatherhood Initiative confirms that far too many children live in households without a dad.

New Data: Rates of Father Absence Flat, Negative Effects Remain the Same

 

GERMANTOWN, Md., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) has released the sixth edition of its flagship research book, Father Facts, and the new data continues to tell the same story: too many children in America live apart from their dads, and they face serious risks as a result.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110426/DC88568LOGO)

With 100 pages of the latest facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, academic research journals, and government studies, Father Facts, Sixth Edition reveals that NFI's most basic measure of the state of fatherhood in America – the proportion of children who live in a home in which their own father does not live – remains at one in three, translating to over 24 million children nationwide. Moreover, the rate in the African American community is closer to two in three. These rates have been roughly the same for the last decade despite a small decrease in the mid-2000s.

Furthermore, the book's data also reveals that across nearly every measure of child well-being – academic, economic, behavioral, emotional, and social – children who live absent their fathers are significantly more likely to suffer negative consequences.

For example, one study cited in the book found that a 1 percent increase in the proportion of single-parent families in a neighborhood is associated with a 3 percent increase in levels of adolescent violence.

Another study found that children living with a single parent with a live-in partner had more than 8 times the rate of maltreatment, over 10 times the rate of abuse, and more than 6 times the rate of neglect than children living with married, biological parents.

It is this growing body of research that has raised concerns among social science researchers, policymakers, community-based organizations, and advocates for over two decades. The result has been the emergence of what can be called a "fatherhood movement" across America that seeks to increase father involvement in children's lives.

Indeed, due to the work of NFI and other efforts over the last two decades, the 40-year increase in father absence from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, has leveled off. However, the rates remain high and much work remains to be done to ensure that more children are connected to their fathers, heart to heart.

Roland C. Warren, president of NFI said, "The data in Father Facts is a stark reminder of why NFI's work is critical to our children's well-being, and thus our nation's success. The fact that father absence is no longer on the rise is positive, but NFI is committed to more -- ending the father absence crisis in America. Father Facts serves as a clarion call to everyone who is concerned about child well-being that supporting fathers and fatherhood programs is an irreplaceable part of any effort to strengthen our families. Indeed, we don't have a fatherless child to spare."

In 2006, after several years of support from the private sector, the federal government also began funding programs to help fathers get the skills they need to be positively involved in their children's lives. Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $75 million of funding for fatherhood programs for the next fiscal year. This funding and other efforts by the Bush and Obama Administrations over the past six years has seemingly entrenched fatherhood as part of the domestic policy agenda.

Since 1994, NFI has led a multi-sector initiative to renew fatherhood. In 1996, NFI, in conjunction with the Ad Council, started the first ever national public service advertising campaign to promote responsible fatherhood. Since then, NFI has also built the nation's largest portfolio of high-quality fatherhood skill-building materials that are offered to community-based practitioners interested in working with fathers. For example, NFI's InsideOut Dad™ program is the most popular fatherhood program in prisons, having been standardized by 23 states and used in nearly 300 facilities nationwide. Finally, NFI is one of the leading producers of research on the causes and consequences of father absence, providing advocates and policymakers with the data they need to generate support for fatherhood-strengthening activities.

Father Facts has been a part of this effort since 1995, when the first edition was released as a one-page fact sheet. Today's sixth edition contains summaries of thousands of studies and Census data published between 2006 and 2011. There are sections on work-family conflict, the consequences of father absence for children, marriage, and essays on culture and fatherhood. Father Facts, Sixth Edition serves as a tool that dads, grant seekers, policymakers, and the press can use to bolster their efforts with hard data about why it is important for children to have involved fathers in their lives.

Father Facts is available at fatherhood.org/fatherfacts.

As the premier fatherhood renewal organization in the country, National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) works in every sector and at every level of society to engage fathers in the lives of their children.  NFI is the #1 provider of fatherhood resources in the nation. Since 2004, through FatherSOURCE™, its national resource center, NFI has distributed over 5.7 million resources, and has trained over 7,600 practitioners from over 3,500 organizations on how to deliver programming to dads. NFI is the most quoted authority on fatherhood in America. Since 2009, NFI has been mentioned in over 1,200 news stories, and makes regular appearances in national media to discuss the importance of involved, responsible, and committed fatherhood. Learn more at fatherhood.org.

SOURCE National Fatherhood Initiative