DADS and MOMS of Michigan eNewsletter
October 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 are working on several planning conferences in November, the Fathers Conference on January 26, 2008, and next years’ program. These programs are for Moms, Dads, Stepparents, and Grandparents. You may have noticed that our mantra is changing and it is definitely not about Dads only; it is about Dads, Moms, children, Grandparents and extended family. The Michigan Bar Associations Family Law Section still does not think children should have family, despite divorce and custody. We are growing and have passed the 12,000 mark. We appreciate you support and if you have one hour per month to help, let us know.
Dads and Moms of Michigan has strengthened its focus on education to expand education programs around the state. We have recruited some new education programs and instructors. 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 OF MICHIGAN FAMILY FORUM
BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY HOUSE,
380 S BATES, BIRMINGHAM,MI 48009
| 7:00 - 7:30: |
Dads Presentation |
| 7:30 - 8:30: |
Guest Speaker |
| 8:30 - 9:30: |
LEGAL ROUNDTABLE |
| For information, call 248-559 DADS (3237) |
NOVEMBER: Tues, Nov. 6, 2007, 7pm, LANNI McRILL, THE ASSESSMENT CENTER
ARE YOU INVOLVED IN A FAMILY LAW COURT CASE
AND DRUGS OR ALCOHOL ARE INVOLVED?
HOW IS DRUG OR ALCOHOL TESTING DONE?
Midwest Fathers Conference
Saturday, January 26, 2008
North Farmington High School, Farmington Hills, Michigan
Register now at: http://partnershipfordads.org/
Keynote Speaker: Lem Barney, Detroit Lions Superstar & Pro Football Hall of Fame Legend
Featuring 24 all-new workshops and our first-ever Kids Panel, with children of all ages
talking about what their fathers mean to them.
Breakfast and lunch are included
Child care available through the Farmington YMCA
Taken Into Custody
ACFC is continuing to publicize and promote Taken Into Custody: The War Against Fathers, Marriage, and the Family, by ACFC president Stephen Baskerville. We seek to raise at least $2,500 for a campaign of radio and television interviews to publicize the plight of parents and children and to promote shared parenting. With the $2,500 we will engage the services of an expert agency that arranges interviews. As anyone who listens to talk radio knows, the call-interview with a book author forms the centerpiece of many shows
Or, for a more personal contribution, you can order a signed copy of Taken Into Custody. You can keep it for yourself, or deliver it to your favorite family court judge. For $75, we will send a copy of the book, signed by Dr. Baskerville, to you or to the judge or other public official of your choosing. For $100 we will send 2 copies, one to you and one to a public official. Part of your contribution will pay for the book, and part will go into the publicity campaign. This will at once spread awareness of our issues and raise funds for further publicity in the media. To choose this option, click here.
Taken Into Custody is the most devastating indictment of the divorce machine ever published. Here Baskerville's great writing power and his knowledge of history and government are fully on display. It's better than any Baskerville you have read -- the full book has many times the emotional power of a single Baskerville article. We are thinking of this as a revolutionary book: like Tom Paine's Common Sense or Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. It promises to catalyze our issues and get them on the front pages. But books don't make revolutions by themselves. They must be publicized and promoted. It will require men and women of conscience to put some dollars into the project. Please join our publicity campaign today. It could make a difference in your children's lives.
Combined Federal Campaign 
Again in 2008, Dads of Michigan is an approved charity through the Combined Federal Campaign. CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace giving campaign. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits. To learn more about giving through CFC, enter http://www.opm.gov/cfc/. On your application, indicate CFC #62174.
Parenting Plan Calendar Software
http://www.sharedground.com/
Shared Ground (R) is an easy-to-use software program designed for divorced parents to track their parenting plan schedules over many years. Do-it-yourself or let us build your approved parenting plan into a multi-year calendar so that you can print, share, or modify the calendar later. Parents, attorneys, arbitrators and mediators can generate equitable parenting plans, which is especially useful for parents seeking fair division of their children's time. FREE ASSISTANCE TO OUR CLIENTS- $49.95 one-time charge, FREE TRIAL & MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. Click here for more information.
Rate The Courts
http://www.ratethecourts.com/index.php
At RateTheCourts.com, visitors may anonymously complete judicial evaluation surveys for over 23,500 of the nation's judges and judicial nominees.
Military Divorce
With or without children, as long as you and your spouse are in agreement, http://123divorceme.com/ is the fastest, easiest, and most affordable way to file your own divorce. We eliminate unnecessary legal fees by streamlining the divorce document preparation and filing process. Our expertise keeps the divorce process simple for you. The Total Cost is $239.00 (no hidden fees! Read More About Our Affordable Pricing)
Parenting plan PACKET and two GUIDES to help you develop your parenting plan:
- The Basic Parenting Plan PACKET - (10 pages/Revised Dec 2003)
A basic guide for developing a typical parenting plan which is age-appropriate for children.
- The Basic Parenting Plan Guide For Parents - (51 pages/Revised Dec 2003) A basic guide for developing a typical parenting plan which is age-appropriate for children.
- The Safety-Focused Parenting Plan Guide - (31 pages/Revised
September 2003) A guide for developing a safety-focused parenting plan where there are special concerns about domestic violence, abuse/neglect, substance abuse, or mental health concerns.
Custody Rights for Grandparents
We have tried to get parenting plan legislation passed in Michigan with HB 5171 in 2006 with Representative Moolenar. Governor Grahholm did not support it in 2004. Parenting Plans are required in many States and Tennessee prior to divorces.
Grandparents can petition for custody to become the primary caretaker of a grandchild under certain circumstances. The child must have lived with the grandparents for six months, or have significant contact with the Grandparents. Courts will consider the best interests of the child and the previous relationship of the grandparents and grandchildren.
Contact an experienced grandparents' rights attorney if you are being denied your rightful visitation rights, or if you are seeking legal custody of a grandchild.
Halloween Costume: Tips for Dads
The search for your daughter or stepdaughter’s Halloween costume can be treacherous, filled with over-sexed and stereotyped "choices." Here are some healthy ideas from Lyn Mikel Brown, Ed.D. and Sharon Lamb, Ed.D., authors of Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers’ Schemes (St. Martin’s Press, 2006), to fight back and let her creativity sparkle!
- She can be anyone or anything on Halloween, so help her think outside the box (especially boxes of store-bought costumes). Imagination and creativity can help girls break out of gender stereotypes…and are great practice for reality.
- Encourage your daughter to be anyone or anything for Halloween—and for the rest of her life. Encourage her to be inspired by real women doing wild, brave and phenomenal things.
- Listen to her ideas and encourage all the possibilities. She is bombarded with pink princesses, sexy divas and pop stars, but don’t assume anything—let her costume choice surprise you!
- Discussing and working on Halloween costumes is a great learning and bonding experience. Help her recall the best costumes she ever saw, and share some favorites from your childhood.
- If she goes for pink and glitter, encourage her to add her own twist and have her pink and glitter DO something. Help her imagine a feisty fairy taking on the evil dragon, a butterfly that saves the insect world, or a queen who uses her sheath and sword to fight for her crown. She can be a glittered firefighter, or even a sparkly skeleton!
- Sit down with a paper and pencil and let your daughter create her own character and story. She can raid the family closets or dress up box to become the wildest or coolest character ever!
- If your daughter loves scary stories and the history of Halloween, help her go "traditional" and be a witch, Frankenstein, or a ghost. Avoid those sexy diva witch costumes; use your own imagination to create the scary, ugly, and awful look.
- Draw on your daughter’s favorite book or character. Re-read the book with her to plan what she’ll need to "be" Anne of Green Gables, Dorothy, or Hermione Granger. And don’t rule out boy characters: Dracula, Harry Potter, or even Dumbledore!
- Is your daughter an athlete or history buff? Halloween is a chance to become Lorena Ochoa, Mia Hamm, Danica Patrick, Sheryl Swoopes, Se Ri Pak, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Joan of Arc, Harriet Tubman, Sally Ride, Golda Meir—the list is endless (and can include males)! Her Jane Goodall can carry a stuffed gorilla; her Van Gogh can wear a bandage on his ear—once you start brainstorming, ideas will flood in.
- Halloween is all about being what you aren’t…help her stretch her imagination. Teach her that it’s false advertising for stores to label cowpoke, police officer and firefighter costumes as "for boys." (Then introduce her to the female police officers and fire fighters in your community!) Halloween is a day of imagination—a perfect opportunity to show her that she can be anyone, any profession, any role.
Dads & Daughters: Making the world safe and fair for our daughters
To learn more about healthy fathering of girls, visit www.DadsandDaughters.org
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"
