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6A ♦ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 Tell adopted child he is a blessed addition to family Question: How would you go about telling a child he or she is adopt ed, and when should that disclosure occur? DR. DOBSON: First, begin talking to your toddler about his or her adoption before the child can understand the meaning of the word. That way there will never be a moment when disclo sure is necessary. To learn of adoption from a neighbor or other family member can be an awful shock to an indi vidual. Don’t risk the devas tation of a later discovery by failing to take the sting out of the issue in babyhood. Second, celebrate two birthdays with equal gusto each year: the anniversary of her birth, and the anniver sary of the day she became your daughter. That is a handy mechanism by which the adoption can be intro- Pencil accidents can’t be erased By GLYNN MOORE Morris News Service Well, boys and girls, I see by the shadows on the wall that Halloween is nearly here. How would you like for me to tell you the grisly tale of the sweet little girl who was attacked by The Pencil of Doom? Let’s call the girl, oh, I don’t know, Karson. Let’s say she’s 8 and in the third grade. One day, as All Hallows’ Eve approached, Karson’s family received a call from her school nurse. I wasn’t around for that part, though. I became involved when my wife, who is the grandmother of the aforementioned victim, called me at home on my day off from work. “Karson got a pencil stuck in her stomach and the lead broke off under her skin,” JoAn said. “I’m going to the school now to pick her up. Do you know whether the lead is toxic and has to be removed right away?” I didn’t, but I reminded my wife that the poison in imported toys wasn’t a fac tor because pencil lead is not actually lead, but graphite. I also tried telling her that pencil juice is called “lead” because, according to wiki pedia.com, when a deposit of graphite was unearthed HICKS From page 4A This policy is not sophisti cated; it is the height of igno rance. And it ignores what we know about underage sex. Research shows that when sex is initiated at a young age, the likelihood of future risky sexual behavior and multiple sexual partners increases (as does the risk for STDs and pregnancy). Research also shows that early sexual behavior means a greater likelihood for depression, low self-esteem and guilt. The pill does not protect against sexually transmitted disease, which are rampant among young people today. Nor does it protect against a heart that is broken, possibly several times over from rela tionships that end when the guy gets what he wants and moves on. Something like this should serve as a stark reminder to all of us who have children to ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals will be received by the CITY OF PERRY, GEORGIA at CITY HALL, 1211 WASHINGTON STREET, PERRY, GEORGIA 31069 until November 30, 2007 at 10:00 A.M., Local Time for the construction of: CITY OF PERRY, GEORGIA - NATURAL GAS MAIN RELOCATION S.R. 127 Widening and Reconstruction/Bridge Replacement STP-0675(8)/ BHF-0675(9) The work to be done consists of furnishing all materials, labor, tools, skills, equipment and incidentals for the relocation of approximately 2895 L.F. of existing 6.625”, 4.500’ and 2.875’ O.D. 300 PSIG steel natural gas main lines within the construction limits of the widening and reconstruction of S.R. 127. Relocate 540 L.F. of 2.375” O.D. Steel Line Pipe along Lake Joy Road. Relocate miscellaneous side road natural gas services and mains. Plans, specifications and contract documents are open to public inspection at the City of Perry City Hall. Plans, specifications and contract documents are available in electronic format through Southeastern Gas Engineering, LLC (770-900-0558). Hard copies can be obtained from Southeastern Gas Engineering upon deposit of $150.00. No refund will be made. 55632 Dr. James Dobson Focus on the Family duced. It also pro vides a way to equalize the status of siblings. Biological children have a psycho logical advantage, which they sometimes lord over their adopted brother or sister. That one-upmanship is neu tralized somewhat when the adopted child gets a second birthday. Third, present the adop tive event as a tremendous blessing (as implied above) that brought great excite ment to the household. Tell about how badly you and your wife wanted a baby to hold even though it looked like you wouldn’t get to raise in England in the 16th cen tury, they mistook it for the element and called it plum bago, or lead ore. Lead, of course, was called plumbum in Latin, so now we have “plumbing.” And graphite, which is a form of carbon, means “to write.” I tried telling her all that, but she pretended her cell phone was acting up, so I promised to find out the dan gers of graphite. First, I called a nurse fine, and she said there was noth ing to worry about. I must have sounded unconvinced, because she turned me over to the Poison Control Center. The poison guy didn’t even give me time to finish my question. He just laughed. “I’ve had a pencil point in my thumb for 20 years,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about.” When JoAn brought Karson home from school, I expected to see a cute little voodoo doll with a yellow No. 2 sticking out of her stom ach. The pencil had gone in at an angle, though, leaving a mark and a scratch a few inches long. Despite her brush with subcutaneous handwriting, Karson was in a good mood, so I offered to remove the streak across her belly with a talk to our kids about making safe, healthy choices when it comes to sex. Help them tb maintain their innocence and be focused on the things children should be occupied with in their lives. Society is doing its level best to influ : ence our kids. We should be the final word in their lives. DAVID OVERTON JEWELERS ‘Jewelry Repair & Cleaning / \ ‘Watch Repair / ‘Engraving Mon. -Fri. ‘Appraisals 9:3oam-s:3opm V 7 ‘Estate jewelry 9:3o^2pm V/ ‘Class Rings We Buy Gold Scrap!! Bring It In And Let Us Weigh It. PAY SANTA WITH SCRAP GOLD! 905 Downtown Carroll St. • Perry 478-987-1392 another boy or girl. Then describe how the news came that “you had arrived,” and how the whole family cel ebrated and cheered. Let your child know your delight when you first saw him lying in a crib, and how cute he looked in his blue blanket, etc. Tell him that his adop tion was one of the happiest days of your life, and how you raced to the telephone to call all your friends and family members to share the fantastic news. (Again, I’m assuming that these details are true.) This is the point: The child’s interpretation of the adoptive event is almost totally dependent on the manner in which it is con veyed during the early years. Most certainly, one does not want to approach the sub ject sadly, admitting reluc tantly that a dark and trou pencil eraser; she didn’t see the poetic brilliance in that. She did let us dig out a por tion of the lead with tweezers before the pain got to be too much. We laid aside the cold, frightening instrument and took her shopping. We bought a decorative necktie to attach below the three-dimensional face on the maple in our yard. Then, to celebrate Karson’s survival, we all had an ice cream cone. That wasn’t scary at all. The next day at work, just about everyone I told the stoiy to had his or her own account of being impaled on writing instruments at some point in life. They are walking around today with graphite shrap nel in their hands, legs, rear ends you name the body part and it has sent many a pencil back to the sharpener. We live in a world of short ages and excess. Petroleum is dear because supply never meets demand. Water is the new petroleum because of our drought. We can’t do much about those crises, but I feel con fident that if this country ever starts running out of graphite, we’re a nation of walking, talking pencil lead mines. Georgia Family Council is a non-profit organization that works to strengthen and defend the family in Georgia by equipping marriage advo cates, shaping laws, prepar ing the next generation and influencing culture. For more information, go to www.geor giafamily.org, 770-242-0001, stephen@gafam.org. Diabetes Fest \kv\ note Shaker , Dr. Scott Segel is a boaid terlilied endocrinologist from Jacksonville. Florida who specializes in diabetes and oilier metabolic diseases. \ graduate of the I Diversity of Michigan and Wayne Stale t niVersify, he completed tiis fellowship iirendocrinology at Washington l Diversity in St. Louis 111 addition to his private prat lice he is a published, national speaker on diabetes and is ■current lv participation in several research trials relating to diabetes. OPINION blesome secret must now be confessed. Fourth, when the founda tion has been laid and the issue is defused, then forget it. Don’t constantly remind the child of his unique ness to the point of foolish ness. Mention the matter when it is appropriate, but don’t reveal anxiety or ten sion by constantly throw ing adoption in the child’s face. Youngsters are amaz ingly perceptive at “read ing” these thinly disguised attitudes. I believe it is possible, by following these common sense suggestions, to raise an adopted child without psychological trauma or per sonal insult. Question: Children seem to be growing up at a younger age today than in the past. Is this true and if so, what accounts LETTER 1 From page 4A communities in Georgia have paid a heavy price for Canada’s non-compliance. Perhaps equally unfortu nate, or even outrageous, has been the U.S. govern ment’s unwillingness to hold Canada accountable to the LETTER 2 From page 4A know the insurgents will - ■■ ; 913 tiO ':IiMH r Monday STEAK & SPUD NIGHT New York Strip or Rib Eye $9.99 Per Person Tuesday CATFISH NIGHT All You Care To Eat Southern Fried Catfish $9.99 Per Person Sunday: All You Care To Eat Fried Chicken - $7.99 f BAR SPECIALS Monday F (jf Domestic Beers $1.75 / Football Wings 35£ Drafts SI.OO / Hot Dogs SI.OO Thursday Friday Satu|§|f T . Ladies Choice Night $5.00 (Solo) Draft Mugs ST.O< luesaay Margaritas SI.OO Drafts-Pitchers Wells Martinis 2 for 1 Wells & We||s Rocks $ 2 .00 & With Chicken $2.00 2 for 1 Margaritas Draft M SI.OO Tenders & Fries Domestic Beers Hot Wings wine Glass $2.00 $8.99 $1.75 PERRY’S BEST VALUE 1-75 Exit 136 • 478-987-8877 155408 tASaSji m Saturday, November 10 free admission 8:00am 1 :00pM +Screenings The Medical Center of Central Georgia * Booths West lower + Demonstrations 877 Hemlock Street Presented by 4, Sneakers World Cbss Care...HiWhere You Neat It. JVOVO VOCd/sA " gtie + Breakout Sessions! for their faster develop ment? DOBSON: Yes, it is true. Statistical records indicate that our children are grow ing taller today than in the past, probably resulting from better nutrition, medi cine, exercise, rest and rec reation. And this more ideal physi cal environment has appar ently caused sexual matu rity to occur at younger and younger ages. It is thought that puberty in a particu lar child is triggered when he or she reaches a certain level of growth; therefore, when environmental and general health factors pro pel a youngster upward at a faster rate, sexual matura tion occurs earlier. For example, in 1850, the average age of men arche (first menstruation) in Norwegian girls was 17.0 DINNER DINING terms of the Agreement. While Canada refuses to col lect an estimated one-third of the required export taxes from Canadian producers, and announces massive new unfair subsidies in violation of the agreement, the U.S. government appears all but unwilling to force Canada to comply with the agreement. I encourage you and your destroy it all in their civil war. Polls show that a majority of the Iraqis want us to leave - the same with Americans. Our military by April 2008 Wednesday SHRIMP NIGHT YOUR WAY All You Care To Eat Saut’ed or Fried $9.99 Per Person Thursday RIB & CHICKEN NIGHT All You Care To Eat BBQ Ribs & Chicken $9.99 Per Person At The Medical Center of Central Georgia HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL years of age; in 1950, it was 13.0. The average age of puberty in females had dropped four years in one centuiy. In the United States the average age of the men arche dropped from 16.5 in 1840 to 12.9 in 1950. More recent figures indicate that it now occurs on average at 12.4 years of age! Thus, the trends toward younger dat ing and sexual awareness are a result, at least in part, of this “fast track” mecha nism. Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, P.O. Box 444, Colorado Springs, CO. 80903; or www.family.org. Questions and answers are excerpted from The Complete Marriage and Family Home Reference Guide and Bringing Up Boys, both pub lished by Tyndale House. readers to further explore the agreement, and I have found a reliable resource at www. FairLumberCoallition.org. I also urge your readers to ask questions about what their Washington Representatives are doing to stop Canada’s infringement of the agree ment that is putting at risk the livelihoods of our mill towns. Rusty Wood, Perry will be worn out and less effective, according to Gen. Petraeus. Help us leave now! Frank W. Gadbois, Warner Robins Friday ALL YOU CAPE TO EAT FAMOUS SEAFOOD BUFFET $12.99 Per Person Saturday PRIME RIB NIGHT 10 OZ QUEEN CUT $10.99 Per Person 12 OZ KING CUT $12.99 Per Person Presented by diabetes healthways