DADS and MOMS of Michigan eNewsletter
June 2007
We thank you for all of your support this year. We are having a wonderful 2007 so far, expanding programs and our outreach. We had a fantastic Fathers Day Picnic on June 16, partnering with the Mankind Project and Partnership for Dads, supporting a Rally in Washington, DC on August 18, Dream Cruise booth in August, and Family Conference in January 2008.
We are looking for more Moms, Stepparents, Grandparents, and Dads this next year to help be a mentor and grow the programs. Volunteer and make a commitment today.
Dads and Moms of Michigan has strengthened its focus on education to expand education programs around the state. For information and to help, call 248-559-DADS (3237).
Sign up for our eNewsletter at www.dadsofmichigan.org
Dads and Moms University Presents
Dads and Moms of Michigan University (DMU) has planned a series of programs for 2007. We have launched parent education programs the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We are expanding resources for Dads, Moms, Stepparents, and Grandparents, and in the Moms of Michigan and Parenting forums to provide more resources for both Parents.
DADS OF MICHIGAN FAMILY FORUM
TUES July 10
BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY HOUSE,
380 S BATES, BIRMINGHAM,MI 48009
| 7:00 - 7:30: |
Dads Presentation |
| 7:30 - 8:30: |
Guest Speaker, Suzanne Hollyer, Oakland County Friend of the Court |
| 8:30 - 9:30: |
LEGAL ROUNDTABLE |
For information, call 248-559 DADS (3237)
Summer Recess: Education Seminars - (2nd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 - 9:00 pm); we will be taking a break for the summer.
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
47120 Romeo Plank Road
Macomb, Michigan 48044
Do You Know a Hero Dad?
DADS and MOMS of Michigan has one, Robert Pederson. Robert was selected as a hero Dad.
What kind of dad am I? What kind of dad did I have? What kind of dad is my neighbor? As we ask ourselves these questions, we are sure to think about a dad who does it all. He provides for his children. He nurtures them. He guides them. He balances work and family. He gives back to his community. Men like these are the real heroes who deserve celebration. They are Hero Dads.
Robert Pederson: "Endless strength and dedication in a fight that most fathers quit because ‘The System’ is so brutal. Holding it together emotionally in the toughest moments when his son cries because he doesn't want to leave daddy. Possessing the ability to make his kids laugh and smile in the most difficult situations." - Robert Pedersen’s wife, Angela
Michigan’s custody laws give Robert Pedersen just 6-8 days per month with his two children from a previous marriage. Driven by the painful separation from his family, Robert created the website A Child's Right (www.achildsright.net) -- proactively advocating EQUAL parenting rights by BOTH fit parents. Robert also volunteers his time to numerous children rights’ organizations while maintaining a political stance with representatives across the state and at the federal level. This August, Robert will bike 600 miles from Lansing, MI to Washington, D.C. to help raise awareness and generate mass media attention in support of equal parenting rights.
Robert is a pharmaceutical sales representative and resides in Battle Creek, Michigan with is wife, Angela. He has two children, Katlyn and Ethan.
By visiting http://www.bestlifeonline.com/herodadcontest/, you can view more details of the Hero Dad contest and Robert Pederson.
DADS and MOMS of Michigan Order of Merit
We thank all of the fantastic parents and leaders for their service in 2006. We completed sending out the Order of Merit to members of the Legislature, Judiciary, Media, and leaders for their outstanding service promoting family and family reform in 2006. We thank you very much for your dedication and support, continuing into 2007.
Bike Marathon to Washington, DC, August 11 and 18
http://daddy.typepad.com/daddyblog/2007/04/robert_and_rob_.html
Robb MacKenzie and Robert Pederson are treking from Lansing, MI to Washington, DC to arrive in Washington on August 18. Be there!!! This story is picking up steam and we need your help. The purpose of the Equal Parenting Bike Trek is to focus on the parenting attitude in U.S. Courts and family services, Department of Health and Human Services, government intervention into family, and government run family. The Lansing launch on August 11 will lead to add excitement to the Washington, D.C. Rally on August 18. http://www.dcrally2007.com/
Welcome to the DCRally
AUGUST 18, 2007 http://www.dcrally2007.com/
We meet in Washington DC , to peacefully exercise our first amendment right to assemble and to respectfully petition our government for a redress of grievances. Our grievances relate to governmental interference with and the destruction of our nation's family structure. DCRally 2007 will take place at the historic site of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
DCRally2007 commemorates the 44th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. DCRally2007 is the extension of the Civil Rights Movement. DCRally2007 addresses the state's failure to recognize and protect our Fundamental Rights. It's time for our Federal Congress to recognize and protect our Fundamental Rights.
DCRally2007 is coming to Washington DC; because the states condone and allow the abduction of children from their homes and the placing of children into the adoption market. The states have opened this door and allow illegal step-parent adoptions without the knowledge and/or consent of fit and loving parents. This outrage is breaking the hearts of good, fit, loving parents and America's children.
DCRally2007 is coming to Washington DC; because the states under the color of law utilize destructive and unnecessarily punitive methods for child support collection and refuse to adopt shared parenting legislation for fit and loving parents. Children are alienated from loving and fit parents. The net result is a squandering of precious federal and state tax revenue, hostile and dysfunctional men and women who have contempt for the system and children who exhibit every social ill imaginable.
DADs Conference, January 2008
We are working with Partnership For Dads to launch the Fathers Conference on January 28, 2008 in Farmington Hills, MI. Stay tuned for details. Larry Herron from Dads and Moms University and Jim Semerad from Dads of Michigan PAC serve on this esteemed committee. We are expecting 400+ Dads for this event. More will follow.
Metro Parent – Infant massage: What to know, where to go!
http://www.metroparent.com/
http://www.metroparent.com/parent_coach/pc_infantmessage.html
A parent's touch is crucial for a child - especially during the early years. Recently, many parents have turned to infant massage to give bonding and baby's health a boost. Though it's a practice that has been used in many Asian and African countries for centuries, many Americans are just beginning to tune into the benefits: improved circulation, digestion, brain functioning, self esteem and muscle tone, just to name a few. It also gives dads a special opportunity to connect with their children.
Read on for tips on how to prepare your baby for massage. Then, scroll down a bit further for local classes where you can learn from the pros!
1. Preparing for massage
Creating a calm and relaxing environment is critical. Jane Kaleski, a certified infant massage therapist with St. Mary Mercy Hospital's Marian Women's Center in Livonia and New Body Therapeutics in Northville, offers this advice:
- Your baby will wear only a diaper or nothing at all, so make sure the temperature is comfortable.
- Avoid harsh lighting, including direct sunlight.
- Massage at a set time of day, to build trust and prepare your baby.
- A carpeted floor is best. It gives you room to move and is soft for your baby.
- Place baby on one or two soft blankets for extra comfort.
- Use natural, edible massage oils. Unscented fruit and vegetable oils are great. Oils can coat a baby's lungs, so avoid anything with chemicals or nut-bases, which could cause reactions.
2. Tips on touch
On WDIV Channel 4, you may have seen local mom Susan demonstrate a few massage methods with her son, David. Here, we've compiled those basic tips, along with others found in the Spring/Summer 2006 edition of Metro Parent Publishing Group's Metro Baby Magazine . Remember, babies are delicate, so be cautious. We highly recommend first taking a class or two to learn how to do these techniques properly (check out some local sources in the next section!).
- First, ask your baby's permission.
- To start, rub the oil in your hands so that it warms up. Also, make a "swishing" sound so that your baby knows that the oil is coming. It's a great way of communicating with your baby.
- Begin with the legs, since they're the easiest to work with and the least invasive for baby. Use a slow, gentle "milking" motion down and up the leg. "Thumb presses" can be used on the feet, and circle motions around the ankles. (Note: These moves are similar for baby's arms.)
- Butterfly strokes with gentle, up-and-down motions are common movements used on baby's abdomen. Mid-tummy, try a "sun and moon" motion, in which your hands are the sun and moon rotating clockwise around baby's belly button.
- Special strokes are used for the face. One technique is to smooth baby's face with the whole hand. Or, lightly trace your fingertips from forehead to cheeks.
3. Do it right - take a class!
Check out these helpful, hospital-hosted courses in the metro Detroit and Ann Arbor areas. Did we miss someone? Please email us at calendar@metroparent.com, and we'll be sure to add them to our online listings. You can find that section by clicking on the "Calendar" link at the top of this page, then selecting "Parent Support" from the left-hand column. Look under "Infant Massage." Also, find other certified trainers at www.infantmassageusa.org.
- Beaumont Hospitals. Weekday evening course are held monthly. $35/family. Birmingham and Troy locations. 800-633-7377 or www.beaumont.edu.
- C.S. Mott Children's Hospital (University of Michigan). Free to parents and caregivers of Mott patients. Ann Arbor. Contact Anne Mahoney at 734-764-0354 or amahoney@umich.edu.
- Oakwood Healthcare System. "Positive Parenting" class includes infant massage. Monday sessions are held for five weeks, 10 -11:30 a.m. $35. Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center, Dearborn. 313-593-7694 or www.oakwood.org.
- Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. Tuesday classes are held over the course of four weeks from 10-11:30 a.m. Bring two receiving blankets and a pillow. $75/family. Howell. 517-545-6517 or www.stjmercyhealth.org.
- St. Mary Mercy Hospital Marian Women's Center. Wednesday courses are held over the course of four weeks from 10-11 a.m. $60/parent and child. Livonia. 734-633-1162 or www.stmarymercy.org.
Stop Family Violence
http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/ocean/host.php?folder=110&page=363&T
Interesting perspective, different arguments. Divorce and custody affects everyone in the family. PAS and denial of visitation is domestic violence.
Parental Alienation Organization
http://www.paawareness.org/
Great PAS brochure: http://www.paawareness.org/brochure/brochure.pdf
New Retirement Plan for Crooked Judge
NEW YORK (AP) -- An ex-judge was convicted in May of accepting expensive cigars and other gifts in exchange for helping fix divorce cases -- crimes captured on hidden-camera videos made in his chambers.
A jury deliberated two days before finding former Brooklyn state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Garson guilty of receiving bribes and accepting rewards for official misconduct. He was acquitted on four lesser counts.
Garson, 74, showed no reaction as the verdict was read. He faces up to seven years in prison at sentencing on June 5.
A MICHIGAN FATHER’S DAY ‘POST - MORTEM’
While celebrated by many fathers and their children, Father’s Day in our state is increasingly mourned as well since hundreds of thousands of fathers are involuntarily removed from their children’s lives not because they are unfit, irresponsible, or abusive, but simply because they are divorced or unmarried.
As a divorced father, I was among the fortunate who was able to celebrate the occasion with my two adult daughters. Nevertheless, for those of us researching the overall environment of fathers in our state and nation, it is increasingly difficult to remain completely upbeat and positive about Father’s Day given the current climate.
While current Michigan law may permit joint custody of minor children to be considered in divorce cases, state family courts seldom rule in favor of this type of shared parenting responsibilities; thus, creating single family custodial households at an alarming rate.
Our analyses, and those of other organizations, are uncovering what might best be described as a 'conspiracy of economics' among the three branches of state government [whether wittingly or unwittingly] that is ultimately creating and perpetuating the increase of Michigan single parent households, most of which are father-absent...not by father-choice. In Detroit alone, 75% of African-American households with children are single-parent!
It commences with a 20-year old erroneous state child support base formula guideline that requires divorcing or unwed parents to be designated either as "custodial or non-custodial" and continues with a court system that routinely rules to limit the time non-custodial parents (mostly fathers) spend with children in order to maximize the child support awards to the custodial parents (mostly mothers). With non-marital cases [the majority type in Wayne County], fathers only have a right to provide financial support and must attempt to assert any other rights [e.g. parenting time, joint custody] in court using expensive legal assistance...most fathers simply cannot afford this practice.
It continues with the Michigan Department of Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement, and State Attorney General's offices that use these higher-than-necessary collected child support awards and collection efforts to help qualify Michigan for maximum federal Title IV-D [U.S. Social Security Act - Welfare] incentive payments and funding.
Note that Michigan’s receipts in federal welfare funding for paternity establishment and child support enforcement alone, now ranks the state 2nd in the U.S. with the most families welfare-classified: over 41% of Michigan families. Compared with California, which has over 4 times the families with minor children, but with only 18% of them welfare-classified. This means our state has surpassed even California, the nation’s most populous state, by over 200% in welfare-classified funding participation!
It ends with a state legislature, largely influenced by the 'divorce' industry, domestic violence and feminist special interests, etc., that routinely act to protect this cozy arrangement for state government.
This occurs despite the overwhelming social pathology research that shows single-parented children are growing up to use drugs, experiencing educational, health, emotional/behavioral problems and especially engaging in criminal behavior much more so than those who either live in two-parent households or who have meaningful access to both fit parents.
There is a simple, inexpensive alternative available in Michigan. It costs the taxpayers nothing and will, in fact, save billions of dollars over time that our government now must spend in social services, law enforcement, the courts, and corrections! It is House Bill 4564...the shared parenting responsibility legislation. It would allow children to have the love and care of both fit parents in their lives regardless of marital status.
Unfortunately, although previous versions passed overwhelmingly in the Michigan House, this current bill languishes in the House Families & Children's Services committee by the current chairwoman. Cyber polls conducted by The Detroit News, showed overwhelming (87%) support for such shared parenting arrangements.
Our state's families, children, and its citizens can no longer afford to continue down this same path of societal suicide and destruction.
Submitted by:
Murray Davis
Board President
National Family Justice Association
Midwest Regional Office
DADS Merchandise
http://www.dadsofmichigan.org/merchandise.html
Consider ordering some DADS merchandise for your favorite DAD this holiday season. Soon we will be adding MOMS merchandise. Sorry Moms, Stepparents and Grandparents, you are as important.
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Fax to 248-559-5427 or call 248-559-3237
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Dads and Moms of Michigan (www.dadsofmichigan.org) includes Dads of Michigan, Moms of Michigan, and Dads of Michigan PAC. These are volunteer responsible parenthood education organizations for fathers and mothers. They instruct on the importance of involved biological parents to the successful development of their children. Dads of Michigan PAC is an independent volunteer political advocacy group dedicated to legislation keeping both biological parents actively engaged in the lives of their children despite divorce and custody, in most instances. They believe men and women should be viewed equally under the law and their credo is: "fathers are responsible parents too...because the best parent is both parents." Dads of Michigan, the Michigan affiliate of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, is also the developer of the Dads and Moms University of responsible education for teenage, divorced, and unmarried parents. This educational program employs several features to either directly or indirectly benefit nearly 2 million men, women, and grandparents and just under one-half million children each year in Michigan. For more information, please contact us at (248) 559-DADS (3237) or email info@dadsofmichigan.org.
DADS and MOMS of Michigan Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
"Fathers are responsible parents too...because the best parent is both parents"
