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Issue Home November 28, 2007 Site Home

Letters to the Editor Policy

Holiday Frenzy Affects Children, Too!

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping, parties and general rushing around, but keep in mind the frenzied pace can affect your children. As parent educator Dr. Louise Hart reminds us, “The best thing to spend on your children is your time.”

As you make your way through what can be a very busy time of year, take time with your child. Why not work together on baking holiday cookies? Showing your child how to measure different ingredients while you read the recipe encourages math and literacy skills.

Help create a good citizen by baking the goodies for a special friend or family member.

Provide paper, markers and crayons and encourage your young artist to design a special card or gift.

Talk about how you celebrate the holiday. This helps your child understand family traditions, and how yours may differ from other people you know.

This is also the time of year routines may be altered thanks to holiday commitments, which may affect your child. Help your children get the right amount of sleep in this busy season by avoiding over-scheduling. It may mean shorter trips to the store, or skipping one or two holiday parities. Also, remember nightly quiet time. Limit television or video games. Tell holiday stories, or listen to holiday music instead.

When choosing gifts for your child, keep safety in mind. The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides these tips: choose toys that fit your child’s age, abilities, skills and interests; be a label reader, look for toys that give age and safety recommendations; avoid toys with small parts for children under the age of three, small parts are choking hazards; avoid toys with sharp edges or points for children under the age of 8.

Keep the holiday pace in perspective. Remember, years from now it won’t matter what type clothes your child had, how many toys he or she packed in the toy box, or how much money you had in the bank. What will matter is the impact your child has on the world because you played an important role in your youngster’s development.

Sincerely,

Stephnie Thornton

Program Manager

Susquehanna County CARES

Autism Support

I am a parent of a child with autism. I have, in the past, felt isolated and alone, but now there is a new support group for me and all other families out there who are in similar situations. Our group meets every second Tuesday of the month, from 7-8 p.m. at the Parish Center of the Holy Name of Mary Church in Montrose.

This group is open for families and friends of autistic individuals, or people who work with or are just interested in the subject. Those who need more information or directions to the site may call 278–3055 or 853–3205. If no answer, leave a message, we will get back to you.

The next meeting is scheduled for December 11 and will feature the topic of wills and trust funds, an extremely important subject when considering your loved one’s future and making the right legal decisions.

We sincerely encourage and welcome all who are interested to attend. You are not alone.

Sincerely

Colleen M. Woodruff

Rich L. Woodruff

Susquehanna, PA

Celebrating Five Years

As we celebrate our fifth-year anniversary, the Thompson Toddlers would like to invite you to the fourth annual Christmas dinner, Saturday, December 8, 4-7 p.m. at Freedom Lodge 328, Thompson.

This dinner is being sponsored by the Thompson Toddlers and locally owned businesses and sponsors. Having this dinner, it is our hope to bring this community together with fellowship and the holiday spirit.

Thompson Toddlers is a nonprofit organization in Thompson. It was formed to provide for families and children in Thompson and the surrounding area.

The Christmas spirit is provided to the little ones and their families who are less fortunate at holiday time.

Donations are accepted, or bring an unwrapped toy for our Santa delivery. For more information, or to send donations, contact Thompson Toddlers, P.O. Box 111, Thompson, PA 18465; Hobbs Market, Thompson, c/o Chuck; or the Carpet Catalog, Thompson, c/o Shirley.

Sincerely,

Thompson Toddlers

Thompson, PA

Quarries – Ethics And Jobs

The ethical quarry operator plays by the rules, observes environmental and safety regulations, operates only within the defined areas and conditions of their permit, cares about their impact on the community and environment, competes fairly, and lawfully hires local labor at prevailing rates. They are the majority in Susquehanna County. They rightfully take pride in their stone and produce the best quality product available. Understandably, theirs is a seasonal and cyclical business subject to the weather and general economic conditions, especially the housing construction market. Their market is strongly influenced by supply and demand, as well as competition. It is not an easy business. Quarry operation supports many local businesses – suppliers of tools, equipment, fuel, and truckers that deliver their product to market, just to name a few.

The unethical quarry operator ignores any rule that stands in the way of producing stone at a lower cost, disregards the limits or conditions of their permits, and disregards the impact of their operation on the local community and environment. They import foreign labor in place of local workers, and sidestep labor laws and regulation to keep their costs down. They produce and market inferior quality product along with their good quality product and sell at cut-rate prices in an attempt to dominate the market. These unethical operations compete unfairly with the ethical operators, causing lowered profits, loss of business and jobs.

The cyclical and seasonal nature of the stone business was impacted by the flood of ’06. The widespread and massive flooding created a huge, albeit temporary demand for labor and stone product to repair and restore countless roads, bridges, waterways, businesses and homes. Now, most of that flood damage has been repaired and the demand for labor and stone product has abated. Along with the nationwide decline in home construction and the oncoming severe winter weather, the short-term demand for quarry employees has declined considerably.

Sincerely,

Al Robbins

New Milford, PA


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
Letters To The Editor MUST BE SIGNED. They MUST INCLUDE a phone number for "daytime" contact. Letters MUST BE CONFIRMED VERBALLY with the author, before printing. Letters should be as concise as possible, to keep both Readers' and Editors' interest alike. Your opinions are important to us, but you must follow these guidelines to help assure their publishing.

Thank you, Susquehanna County Transcript

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