Custodial Rights Seminar Planned

Mon., March 27, 2000

Tina Carey Staff writer

Grandparents, custodial relatives and community agencies meet to learn and discuss custodial rights during a conference “Caring for Children — It’s All Relative” from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 at the Shilo Hotel, 923 E. Third.

The SecondTimers/Relatives Raising Relatives Support Group is sponsoring the program that will feature:

Accessing and troubleshooting the “system.”

Finding resources and advocating for your child in the community.

Effects of early childhood trauma on brain development.

Establishing and maintaining a support group network in your community.

Parenting relatives’ children with special needs.

Legislative update and how to be heard.

The cost for the all-day conference including lunch and a limited, off-site, pre-arranged day care is $15 for grandparents or custodial relatives and $30 for professionals. For more information, call the Children’s Home Society at 747-4174. For statistics on grandparents raising grandchildren check out the Web site www.uwex.edu/ces/gprg/article.html.

Childhood Obesity: According to a study published in the January issue of Pediatrics, obese children demonstrate significantly lower levels of self-esteem and higher rates of depression. By early adolescence, obese children are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior such as smoking and drinking.

Studies by the Harvard School of Public Health show that since the 1960s, obesity in 6-to-11-year-olds has increased more than 50 percent, while obesity in 12-to-17-year-olds has risen more than 40 percent.

The Online Health and Fitness Network at www.efit.com provides parents and children with valuable information on children and teens. It gives tips and advice to help both parents and teenagers live healthier lives.

Is your dad smart? Holiday Inn Express is searching for the father who knows best through the hotel chain’s “Smartest Father in the Nation” essay contest.

Children between the ages 6 and 18 may nominate their dad by writing an essay of no more than 150 words why they think their dad is the smartest in the nation.

The grand-prize winner will receive a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Three first-prize winners will each receive a personal computer.

Enter on the Web site www.smartestfather.com or send your entry to Holiday Inn Express Smartest Father in the Nation Contest, c/o GCI Group, Suite 700, 1355 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. Please include your name, age, address, home telephone number including area code, and your dad’s name. All entries must be received by May 19.

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