tagged w/ Parental Rights
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Rob Schneider tells the truth about vaccines, parental rights, corporate greed and AB2109
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Thanks Rob, I guess you're not as dumb as your movies make you out to be!Rob Schneider tells the truth about vaccines, parental rights, corporate greed and... more
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A daughter's cry for her mother's love as she steadfastly climbs the ladder of success-the story of DJ Mona-Lisa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4OilvvNeaYA daughter's cry for her mother's love as she steadfastly climbs the ladder... more
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What if your 7-year-old son liked to wear sequined dresses, preferred to play with Barbies instead of WWE action figures, and wanted to be referred to by a girl’s name instead of a boy’s? Where would you stand? How would you feel?
Lisa Ling's new show, Our America, on the Oprah Winfrey Network, introduced the country to a first grader in "Transgender Child: A Parent's Difficult Choice." His parents named him Harry. But when Harry was 5, he decided he wanted to be called Hailey because he felt more like a girl than a boy. His mom and dad, not knowing quite what to do, indulged his request.
Now the child has completely taken on the identity of a little girl. And his parents, a conservative Christian couple who may have had some preexisting notions about what’s right and wrong from a Biblical perspective, were challenged to rethink everything they believed about gender and sexuality for the love of their baby, their second son turned their only daughter.
Seeing a child feel so strongly about his or her gender at such a young age that they ask to be called by a new name is enough to make any adult take pause. One thing we grown-ups can envy about kids is their inherent freedom to be their real, authentic selves — no pretensions, no baggage. By the end of elementary school, of course, they’re well on their way to being squeezed through the ringer of social conditioning, and their families, teachers, mentors, coaches, and other trusted adults put the finishing touches on those rigid expectations that box them in: Boys play rough and are good with numbers. Girls dress up with makeup and heels and read books. Blah blah blah.
But Hailey’s young life goes way, way beyond those crummy norms, and her parents have created a safe, nurturing environment where she can live comfortably and have friends and lead a relatively normal life, sans Lisa Ling and her camera crew stopping by to document her story. And while Hailey’s mother and father have my utmost respect for their obvious love and patience and their empathy for their child’s uniqueness, I have to wonder if they’re doing the right thing for her.
Part of a parent’s job description is to guide, shape, prepare, and love our kids, so that means we’d be crazy to play into our children’s whims and phases and let them run the show (although I know plenty of liberal, free-swingin’ moms and dads who do). It’s one thing to give the middle finger to that traditional boy/girl baggage and let your kids defy social convention. It’s quite another to let them adopt a completely different lifestyle, assume a completely different identity, and take on a completely different name when they’re not even old enough to write in cursive. I would let my daughter pick out what she wanted to wear when she was 5. It was an exercise in choice, a show of independence. I would not, however, let her tell me that she no longer wanted to be a girl and accept her moves to not be one.
I don't believe that children have the tools and information they need to make informed, reasonable decisions about their lives. It’s the reason responsible parents don’t let their kids get tattoos when they’re 10 or why they’re not allowed to ring in their 12th birthday with a shot of Patron. So certainly creating a completely new personhood based on not feeling like the gender they were born into seems like too much control for someone who, at the age Hailey made her transgender declaration, shouldn’t even be crossing a busy street by themselves.
This could very well be one of those normal phases that a child goes through, but I’m not naïve enough to say with certainty that Hailey will grow up and out from the desire to live her life as a young woman. She may not, and that’s cool. There will be more challenges piled on top of the load of crap that's already the companion messiness of adolescence. But until then, I think her mom and dad need to step their parenting game up because in the process of “letting her be herself,” she may end up not finding her real self at all.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/116944/crazy_mom_lets_her_7yearoldWhat if your 7-year-old son liked to wear sequined dresses, preferred to play with... more
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Retailers selling sexualised products aimed at children could face restrictions under plans being considered by the government.
An inquiry is getting under way to explore whether rules should prevent the marketing of children's items such as "Porn star" T-shirts or padded bras.
A code of conduct on "age appropriate" marketing and a new watchdog are among plans being considered.
Children's Minister Sarah Teather said parents faced a tidal wave of pressure.
She told the BBC it was the cumulative impact of things like magazine images and unsuitable products marketed at young people.
She said: "We have heard from parents about the impact of going into shops and seeing things that are unsuitable.
"If you are a mum and dad, trying to take your children Christmas shopping - it's a pretty hellish experience at the best of times but when you are seeing all these images all the time it increases the pressure on families."
'Wallpaper'
She said it was difficult for parents to protect children because of the influence of music videos, displays in High Street shops and features in teen magazines and on websites.
The inquiry is being headed by chief executive of Christian charity the Mothers' Union, Reg Bailey. He wants parents to send him examples of products of concern.
He said: "It's about the tone and the style of the way things are marketed to children. When you are so bombarded by marketing and sexualised imagery, it almost becomes wallpaper."
Other items which have been criticised include lap-dancing kits and Playboy-branded pencil cases.
In May, Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to take action to protect children from "excessive commercialisation and premature sexualisation".
He said he was shocked to discover beds with a "Lolita" branding were being marketed towards six-year-olds.
Lolita is a novel, later adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie, in which a middle-aged man becomes sexually obsessed with a precocious 12-year-old girl.
The Family and Parenting Institute welcomed the inquiry, and said parents were concerned that young children were experiencing "too much too young".
Chief executive Katherine Rake said: "Mothers and fathers regularly tell us that they don't want to see childhood disappearing.
"Confronting this issue is vital if we are to move closer to a family friendly society. We look forward to seeing progress made."Retailers selling sexualised products aimed at children could face restrictions under... more
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April 12, 2010 - In PHC's first annual Real Hope for the Future speech contest, junior Aaron Kamakawiwoole won the $1000 first prize with his speech on the importance of defending parental rights in the United States, describing his lobbying efforts in his home state of Hawaii to pass the Parental Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qpuj07y98E&feature=player_embedded&aia=trueApril 12, 2010 - In PHC's first annual Real Hope for the Future speech contest,... more
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Bubbles of Love campaign so that alienated parents around the world could unite in spirit, support and public awareness. Adults, children, and even dogs got involved in the public bubble-blowing events.Bubbles of Love campaign so that alienated parents around the world could unite in... more
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Divorce has been in the news lately, specifically following the arrest of an divorced American father who was jailed while attempting to "rescue his children" from his estranged wife in Japan. I put that in quotes only because the concept of right vs. wrong is still very much in question here.
The father, Christopher Savoie, snatched his children while they walked to school with their mother in Japan. He is now in prison for kidnapping, and this is where it gets interesting. In an interview with CNN he states that his ex-wife Norika is actually the real kidnapper.
The issue here is that Japanese law states that custody in divorce cases should be granted to a single parent. Culturally, this typically falls to the mother, and while Christopher's case might be getting press in the US, it's coverage in Japan is actually indicative of the norm -- divorced Japanese fathers typically must fight for the ability to see their children.
"In Japan, nobody thinks it's a problem if a mother takes away her children without consent," said Hideki Tani, a lawyer who has taken on cases of fathers seeking access to their children. "Here, it's common for either parent to completely lose contact with children, but people outside Japan find it outrageous."
Masahiro Yoshida, a 58-year-old musician, is actively fighting to get custody in Japan. His ex-wife, Akemi Kurahashi, is open to granting Yoshida visitation rights, but with some hesitation.
"I will swallow my own feelings if my daughter is happy seeing her dad," she said. "But I still fear he may end up hurting me or her someday."
Today the good folks over at Current Exposed passed me their latest interview with Max and Jason. In the interview, the guys discuss issues of divorce in the US with Douglas Caballero. There are certainly stark contrasts in the way Japan handles custody in divorce cases. Max and Jason's insights reflect some of the thoughts and feelings of children of divorced families in the US, and it added a level of context missing from the Japanese divorce stories. While the cultural decision of granting sole custody to the Mother may be well intentioned, it misses one very crucial aspect -- the wants and needs of the children involved.Divorce has been in the news lately, specifically following the arrest of an divorced... more
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,pay-clerk-0129.article
Philpot made $83,473 in 2009 as clerk -- a total that included $14,000 in "supplemental pay" in a year when countywide budget cuts trimmed four full-time positions from the clerk's office and $423,000 from its budget. From 2004 to 2008, his pay has ranged from $67,000 to $70,000.
Top deputies Sandra Radoja and Gus Trakas also have been paid from the fund, as well as "about 10 other people in the office," Saks said.
"It's a federal program and it's to be used as an incentive," Saks said. "The federal government saw (child support collections) as a priority, and they wanted to see it succeed.",pay-clerk-0129.article
Philpot made $83,473 in 2009 as clerk -- a total that... more
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Main Website (will be updated as more information becomes avaliable)
http://familypreservationfestival2010.yolasite.com/
Public Discussion Forum (ask questions, make comments, give suggestions)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fpf2010/
Folks the buzz about this year is huge, this will most definately be the biggest event we have seen. Question is; Will you be a part of this?? Do not be fooled by any rumors or disuaded by hedgemonious rumors.... ALL groups are invited to be involved, ALL issues surrounding family courts, parental rights, CPS corruption will be addressed and EXPOSED!!!!
Start the planning for carpools, caravans, and mass transit options NOW!!! Our children cannot wait another year........ There is still openings for speakers, so if you want to nominate someone or feel you want to speak, you can make a request, speakers will be chosen based on time availability and suggested content there is no guarantee that everyone who makes a request will be able to speak...... PLEASE Post this Far and wideMain Website (will be updated as more information becomes avaliable)... more
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A McClain County judge has been disqualified from hearing a child custody case after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled he exceeded his authority and abused his discretion in rulings that stretched out over more than 21/2 years.
Mychal Cox, 22, has been battling for nearly three years to regain physical custody of her oldest son, Mason, right. Cox said nobody has questioned her fitness to be a parent to her youngest son, Carter, 2.
Associate District Judge Charles Gray used an expansive interpretation of grandparent visitation laws to give the paternal grandparents of a 4-year-old boy physical custody of the child five days a week while limiting the mother to two days.
"Five days per week of ‘visitation’ is a custody determination, not a determination of reasonable grandparent visitation,” the Supreme Court said in a unanimous opinion.
"What began with the intention of protecting the best interests of the child has become a de facto guardianship with no end in sight.”
The Supreme Court criticized Judge Gray for repeatedly failing to determine whether the mother, Mychal Cox, was a fit parent after she completed a court-recommended improvement plan and sought the restoration of her parental rights in early 2007.A McClain County judge has been disqualified from hearing a child custody case after... more
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Posted: 7:04 am PST December 30, 2009
Updated: 6:48 pm PST December 30, 2009
MILTON, PA -- Bill Connington’s two young sons have been missing for 11 years after their mother abducted them and disappeared. Tuesday night authorities in Pennsylvania called Connington to confirm they had been found safe and sound in Milton, where their mother had been living under an alias.
Jill Diane Haugen, 48, was arrested Tuesday at her home in Milton, Pennsylvania where she was going by the name Ann Thompson. Haugen is Connington's ex-wife and the mother of Connington's 17-year-old and 15-year-old sons.
Milton Police Officer Todd Ulrich called Connington by phone Tuesday to tell him the news. Ulrich says Connington was "absolutely surprised" and had thought he'd never see his sons again.
"I always had the hope, I never gave that up," Connington said. "I thought I might never see them again."
In 1998 an arrest warrant was issued for Haugen's arrest after she took the boys after Connington was awarded custody. A break in the case came when a social worker grew suspicious because of things the boys, who were recently placed into foster care, said about their past. One of them used his real name and when the social worker Googled his name they found the boy was missing.
Monday morning Connnington got a call from investigators in Pennsylvania about his sons.
"I turned white like a ghost. I just started shaking. I was just in awe, I didn't know what to think I was just told they found them and nothing else and to contact the detectives," Connington said.
Haugen said Tuesday that she is a victim of domestic violence and her sons are victims of sexual abuse. Police say there's no merit to her claims. Investigators say that Haugen will be extradited to Washington and Connington hopes she spends time in jail for kidnapping his kids.
"I just want to see justice done," he said.
As for his sons they are in foster care right now. Bill says he can't wait to welcome them back to Spokane.
http://www.kxly.com/news/22089023/detail.htmlPosted: 7:04 am PST December 30, 2009
Updated: 6:48 pm PST December 30, 2009... more
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The birth mother of a 7-year-old Virginia girl must transfer custody of the child to the woman's former lesbian partner, a Vermont judge ruled, adding that it seems the woman has "disappeared" with her daughter.
Vermont Family Court Judge William Cohen ordered Lisa Miller of Winchester, Va., to turn over daughter Isabella to Janet Jenkins of Fair Haven at 1 p.m. Friday at the Virginia home of Jenkins' parents.
But in the Dec. 22 order denying Miller's request to delay the transfer of Isabella, Cohen wrote: "It appears that Ms. Miller has ceased contact with her attorneys and disappeared with the minor child."
Miller and Jenkins were joined in a Vermont civil union in 2000. Isabella was born to Miller through artificial insemination in 2002. The couple broke up in 2003, and Miller moved to Virginia, renounced homosexuality and became an evangelical Christian.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/ap_on_re_us/us_lesbian_custodyThe birth mother of a 7-year-old Virginia girl must transfer custody of the child to... more
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By any standards it winds up doing more harm than good worldwide... ..
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VENTURA, California, Nov 13 (IPS) - U.S. Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother, is being threatened with a military court-martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan, despite having been told she would be granted extra time to find someone to care for her 11-month-old son while she is overseas.
Hutchinson, of Oakland, California, is currently being confined at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia, after being arrested. Her son was placed into a county foster care system.
Hutchinson has been threatened with a court martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan on Sunday, Nov. 15. She has been attempting to find someone to take care of her child, Kamani, while she is deployed overseas, but to no avail.VENTURA, California, Nov 13 (IPS) - U.S. Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single... more
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As much as mothers want their partners to be involved with their children, experts say they often unintentionally discourage men from doing so. Because mothering is their realm, some women micromanage fathers and expect them to do things their way, said Marsha Kline Pruett, a professor at the Smith College School for Social Work at Smith College and a co-author of the new book “Partnership Parenting,” with her husband, the child psychiatrist Dr. Kyle Pruett (Da Capo Press).
Yet a mother’s support of the father turns out to be a critical factor in his involvement with their children, experts say — even when a couple is divorced.
“In the last 20 years, everyone’s been talking about how important it is for fathers to be involved,” said Sara S. McLanahan, a professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton. “But now the idea is that the better the couple gets along, the better it is for the child.”As much as mothers want their partners to be involved with their children, experts say... more
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~y2009m11d7-Crystel-Strelioff-sentenced-to-12-years-for-abducting-children
Crystel Strelioff sentenced on four counts of felony child abduction.
The father said Crystel was sentenced to the maximum of three years on each count, but they run concurrently and in Illinois, where she is serving time, prisoners can be released after 50% of the sentence is served. Because the child abductor already served about six months of her sentence, she may be released in a year.
This case is shameful. The mother tricked protective parent organizations such as Justice for Children into spending their time and other resources on a sham case. The father underwent extensive testing voluntarily and the children did not give convincing accounts of any abuse by the father, according to court documents. Worse, the children seemed to the evaluators to have been coached, meaning they suffered verbal and emotional sexual abuse by the people who coached them.~y2009m11d7-Crystel-Strelioff-sentenced-to-12-years-for-abducting-children
Crystel... more
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BEAR, Del. — A Delaware first-grader who was facing 45 days in an alternative school as punishment for taking his favorite camping utensil to school can return to class after the school board made a hasty change granting him a reprieve.
The seven-member Christina School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to reduce the punishment for kindergartners and first-graders who take weapons to school or commit violent offenses to a suspension ranging from three to five days.
Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last month. Now, he could return Wednesday.
"I want to get him back as soon as possible. I want to put this behind him as soon as possible," said Debbie Christie, Zachary's mother. "But I also want him to know that he has a voice, and when things are not right, he can stand up and speak out against them."
A spokeswoman for the school district said more changes to the school system's code of conduct were possible in the coming months.
The punishment given to Zachary was one of several in recent years that have prompted national debate on whether schools have gone too far with zero-tolerance policies.BEAR, Del. — A Delaware first-grader who was facing 45 days in an alternative... more
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A father who has been fighting for custody of his two children has won that right, and is now suing the county’s Department of Human Services and a local hospital.
Ray Woodson and his children’s mother Carla Legates have been battling DHS for nearly two years and now both mother and father have filed federal lawsuits against the state agency.
Their first child was removed in October 2007 at 2 months old. His sister was taken in August 2008 when she was only six hours old and still in the nursery at Claremore Regional Hospital.
Legates had been previously involved with DHS and the court system concerning custody of her first child who was only a few months old when he entered a foster home in 2005.
In May, Woodson won custody of the children after a 14-day jury trial, according to the filing. Now Woodson is claiming the state violated the HIPPA law and his civil rights.
The couple’s first child was born in Wichita, Kan., and was taken into custody Oct. 2, 2007, by Rogers County DHS after Legates returned for a court appearance concerning her first child and was asked where her newborn baby was located. She was arrested and placed in the county jail for not revealing the baby’s whereabouts and later charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice to which she pleaded guilty.
Authorities were able to learn where the baby and Woodson were located through recorded jail telephone conversations and subsequently seized the baby and took Woodson into custody for violating a child custody order. During court hearings throughout Woodson’s criminal case following his arrest, testimony revealed the child custody order was signed less than an hour before he was arrested. However, Woodson eventually pleaded guilty to the charge and spent several months in county jail.
During their battle for custody of their first child, Woodson and Legates gave birth to a second child in August 2008. But that child was taken into DHS custody straight from the hospital just six hours after birth. The state claimed the child was deprived, even though Woodson and Legates had not been given a chance to be parents to either of their children. In his filing, Woodson claims Claremore Regional Hospital violated the HIPPA law by providing medical information concerning his child to DHS.
The filing — which names Claremore Regional Hospital, DHS, Kila Bergdorff, Jessica Pruitt, Barbara Priest, Janie Vecsey, Kelly Gassaway-Oxford as defendants — states that even though there was a two-day adjudicatory hearing in December 2008 concerning the second child and “the child was found not deprived by the father,” DHS kept the child in custody for eight more months.
Woodson is seeking actual damages in excess of $10,000, punitive damages in excess of $10,000 and a reasonable amount of attorney fees.
In Legates’ federal suit, she is claiming her Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were violated when her children were taken into state custody. The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures and the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to provide substantial due process such as parental and marriage rights, which includes holding hearings before a person’s property interests can be taken away.
More info in link.....A father who has been fighting for custody of his two children has won that right, and... more
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Hello Everyone. My name is Dave Nash, and on April 25th, 2010, Parental Alienation Awareness Day, I will attempt to break the Guiness World Record for the Fastest Crossing of Canada on Foot (Male). The current record is 72 days, 10 hrs and 23 min. It was set from June 21st, to September 1st, in 1991 by Al Howie, who ran across Canada, from St John's, Nfld, to Victoria, BC, a distance of 7295.5 km (4,533.2 miles).
I am attempting to break this World Record to raise awareness about our Country's FAILING and BROKEN, so-called "Family" Justice System, as well as our Governments' UNWILLINGNESS and OUTRIGHT REFUSAL to reform the system for the sake of our children.Hello Everyone. My name is Dave Nash, and on April 25th, 2010, Parental Alienation... more
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The sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not play a significant role in the well being of their children, a new study contends.
The study, recently published in Adoption Quarterly, was written by Paige Averett and Blace Nalavany, assistant professors of social work at East Carolina University, and Scott Ryan, dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work. It compares the extent of emotional and behavioral problems of adopted children in the context of the sexual orientation of their adoptive parents.
While income and a history of abuse may affect a child’s behavior and welfare, the parents’ sexual orientation plays no part in the happiness of the child, according to the research.
“Sexual orientation did not matter,” Averett said. “Both sets of parents face a lot of the same struggles. If a child has a history of abuse, it makes the child’s behavior difficult regardless. Income factors into behavior and well-being but sexual orientation does not.”
The research was based on survey results from parents who adopted children through Florida’s public child welfare system and data from gay and lesbian couples throughout the United States. It included 155 gay and lesbian couples and 1,229 heterosexual couplesThe sexual orientation of adoptive parents does not play a significant role in the... more
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