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PAGE 10A , - FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Thursday, March 18,2004 Chatty fI OX Mk\ W I (hey write (he kind of books we^— | MH WF Fellowsh ip of the Ring," the first / w to them W W ( “The of the Rings" trilogy by JR R. Tolkien. \ \ ven laborious. X. /.no r.'./A'A 1 'BU Bflß l ßw /(By /fStf/ 17 Academy Awards. J>atritxjtedJ)yj<niflht Ridder/Trlbune Addicted ■ adults Sll T VIV DflWhAn VOl 1 f *& ..-. ~2 fl Growing up in a household with parental VI ill I VVllV.il JVUI —-Iff drug addiction also can lead to extraordinari- * tough teenage years. Hans interviewed the n't* Cl 1□ Fl/"* Q H I children of mothers who were addicted to opi- Udl“lll lICIJ U fl| I utes. wh-n the children were 10 years old and • 11 again when ,hey were 14 years ° ld - She f° und I I j fl ■ they were more likely to have behavioral □hl 1 A nrO h A m fl I P roblcms and he disruptive in school than Uk/UJL kJ I Vzk/lv.l I I fl ■ children of parents without drug problems. Part of the reason for the difference, she says, WBy Kimberly Palmer f fl ? because . tend to be ...., fl ■ * ess sensitive to their kids needs. Chicago Tnbune ■ IM , <r -. ~ By the time they were teenagers, (these hen Nelly T. was 14, she noticed one of her class- fl fl kids) had the same problems as their par mates coming out of the bathroom crying. She fl * ents. They were hanging around with the asked the girl what was wrong. The girl replied fl W wrong kids, stealing things, staying out that her mother wasn't taking care of her proper- fl 1L after curfew," Hans says. ly and that sometimes her mom hit her. fl fl Children of addicted parents also have “I didn't know what to do. But 1 had to do something. If 1 B fl a greater chance of developing addictions let it pass, I was going to feel guilty," Nelly says. fl • i flk of their own. The National Association Nelly 's classmate's situation is far from rare. Her mom fl for Children of Alcoholics reports that has an addiction problem. Many children of parents who fl ML kids with addicted parents are four are addicted to drugs or alcohol suffer because of their fl times more likely to become parents' behavior, and often these kids don't know' fl fl addicted to drugs or alcohol where to turn for help. Parental substance abuse isn't jfl fl, themselves. The group also limited to low-income individuals, either; more- Jp fl:, reports that children of addict affluent families also face the problem. jr flk ed parents are more likely to The National Association for Children of fl / be abused. Alcoholics reports that more than 11 million chil- fl fl/ fl Despite the challenges dren have at least one parent who is addicted to Isl fl/ fl of growing up with drugs or alcohol. J fl f fl addicted parents, kids in “A child will often take on the family J If this situation can have responsibility." says Sydney Hans, professor of I successful lives by psychiatry at the University of Chicago. Even 1 I finding people outside "very young kids feel that burden they fix | B their family to help dinner and set up appointments for their fam- fl I them. “Kids who have dies," she adds M fl one caring adult who Kids in this situation often are stressed, too. because they feel like they can't tell anyone jgHßfijgSayliSAfla that seems to be the about their parents'addiction. "Kids are acute- K secret to kids showing ly aware that there are things they are not sup- ’IP K resilience." Hans says, posed to talk about. h's a secret that every- jEV ■'she recalls one brxly in the family tries to hide," Hans says. B I young girl, a singer in Sometimes, parents' drug abuse started , a gospel choir, who long before they had kids Part of the negative I / WU* J | spent a lot of time with impact on children comes from being exposed J* f I her grandmother. “I to drugs before being born The National ■ j? ’ haven't seen her on Institute on Drug Abuse reports that about 5 American Idol' yet. [x-rcent of mothers use illegal drugs w hile they B fl. ■' IL but 1 111 sure sbe s are pregnant and 19 percent use alcohol, both hfl fl Jfl M doing OK" because of ot which can have lasting negative effects on ffl her grandmother's children's health. '■ guidance. Hans says. Babies of mothers who were addicted to Also, she adds, opiates a group ot dnigs that includes hero- drug-addicted parents in during pregnancy go through a pernxl of "really love and worry drug withdrawal when they are bom. which , j about their kids, even means they cry. shake and scratch themselves. .; ’V"** when they abandon Drinking alcohol during pregnancy also can ' 4 B » WMB ,^em Barents still have lead to children with brain abnormalities. r <a profound attachment smaller than openings, flattened i tbcir 11 s ,llst t;.. the drugs so much stronger." w Bc><-’a’’ Nelly REACH OUT FOR HELP thinks the best thing to Do you have a parent who is a substance (I. ' do like abuser ’ Here's where to go to get help for O' thal ber c, assmate's yourself. « IBrag) ft The Web site www.al-anon-alateen fl Mwr hard for a little kid to org is a great source of information and IT ■ ; lc d a teacher, but they support and can direct you to meetings in ,e 'l a friend who your area. talk to her par- ft The government-created Web site ents," she says. Nelly www.freevibe.com/shoutout provides /flfl hel P e<l her fnend get answers on why people start using drugs 1 EOelp by talking to a d/krt ' Design a new Pokemon card a•. •JO Fans of the popular Pokemon series and Jk x/ / card game will get a chance to become offi cial Pokemon card illustrators in a contest Jk i being sponsored by Kids’ WB and Nintendo. nW* 1 Kids are being asked to design a card sea- 1T tunng one of the following five Pokemon characters: Pikachu, Mudkip, Treecko. Torchic ; or Wurmple. .- Five grand prize winners will have their names W/w fW credited as illustrator on their card creations. The w 1 ’’ winners also will each receive 50 sets of an exelu sive Pokemon five-card booster pack and a SSOO Target gift card. For details or to download the entry form, go to www.KldsWß.com. You can also get an entry form at Target. Entries must be postmarked by April 10, _ Su:unne Pfrt . Tobias Serving the North Georgia Poultry Industry and helping the zgh environment by recycling poultry by-products into useful feed ingredients. | BSBHHEI 1 Ghoulishly good fun What would happen if you combined the kids from the Addams Family with Tom Sawyer » and Huckleberry Finn? You’d have Edgar and Ellen, the lly’l creepy twins from “Rare •B Beasts.” the first in a series of * new children’s books from Charles Ogden. This gruesome twosome plots mischief and mayhem, but their best-laid plans always go awry. Such is the case when the weird pair decide to kidnap all the neigh borhtxxl animals and turn them into priceless pets. Despite their wacky decorations, the cats, dogs, ham- Johns Creek is proud to sponsor the Newspapers in Education program as part , of its ongoing commitment to the youth g| / A Sptotopmint of Technology luc. zn L-i r 4 lf?M n \ XI I ii \ \l / / / \ ■ I </ B /!/ / \ WBk Bfi * \ BK ■HL \ BM BK \ ° \ WM ° \ x \ * ... J - P Zn Goodbye, Supersize! *T~ | k A 1 * McDonald’s famous JgCfffl Wfajr Su P ersize french fries and soft drinks will soon be his tory. The world’s largest fast-food company plans to remove Supersize items from its menu. By the end of the year, customers in the chain’s more than 13,000 U.S. restaurants will not be able to Supersize anything. The exception will be when McDonald’s holds special promotions. A MOVE TO HEALTHIER EATING CHOICES McDonald’s began offering Supersize portions in 1994. Reducing portion size will help "support a balanced lifestyle.” a company statement said. The move is part of an overall fast-food makeover in response to demands for healthier food choices. Last year. McDonald's kicked off its “Eat Smart, Be Active” program. It added healthier menu items, including salads, fruit and lowfat milk. Other fast-food chains, including Wendy’s and Burger King, have also been offering more nutritious foods. Smaller portions at McDonald’s will also help the chain save money. “The driving force here was menu simplification,” spokesman Walt Riker said this week. “The fact of the matter is not very many Supersize fries are sold.” The decision was celebrated by a supporter of public health. “I hope (the McDonald's menu change) is an indication that the company is pay ing more attention to obesity, heart disease, and other diet-related diseases." said Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. PUBLIC PUTS PRESSURE ON FAST-FOOD CHAINS Last year, McDonald's faced two lawsuits that claimed it hid the health risks of eating Big Mac hamburgers and Chicken McNuggets. (The cases were thrown out last year.) Then, an award-win ning nonfiction movie was made, called “Super Size Me." The film followed a man who only ate McDonald's food for a month. The man’s health worsened during the month, showing the harmful effects of eating fatty fast food. The film has not yet been widely released. These incidents provide two examples of how many critics blame McDonald’s and other fast food chains for the growing weight problem in the United States. FAST FACT According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half the U.S. popula tion is considered overweight. Neepa Shah C 2004 Time Inc All Rights Reserved TIME FOR KIDS and TimetorKtds com are registered trademarks of Time Inc sters, rabbit and ana conda don’t attract I any buyers, so the duo is soon stuck with a menagerie of odd-looking beasts. Ogden’s sinister siblings would be terrifying if they weren't so inept. His descriptions of the delinquent duo and their evil doings will delight Lemony Snicket fans, who are ready for the kids to do a little trouble-mak ing of their own. IWMI VVWIIVIIIJ, Great for readers ages 9-12, the hardback book is published by Tricycle Press and sells for $12.95. Amaruki Rogers Rick Carton’s creepy black-and-white illustrations are even reminiscent of “A Series of Unfortunate i Events.” Look for the I next installment. | “Tourist Trap,” in l May, when the dark I duet tries to thwart I its sleepy town’s best I efforts to boost the ™ local economy.