Tag-Archive for » Children «

28
Oct

13 Halloween Tips For All Ages

My little sister when she was a baby

Pictured My sister when she was a baby

Halloween is upon us, a night full of scares, tricks and treats. Trick or Treat lands on Halloween this year in most counties here in WV.

I will be sharing tips for people taking kids Trick or Treating or to local Halloween/Harvest parties, kids/teens going Trick or Treat without adult supervision, people handing out candy and adults/teens going to parties. These tips will ensure you and everyone around you has a safe fun Halloween. more »

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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16
Oct

ABSOLUTELY NOT WALMART!!!!

                                                                face

I am outraged at Walmart yet again but this time isn’t over their union busting, deporting instead of paying undocumented workers hired to build their stores, running terrible sweatshops or even for killing small businesses no this time they are trying to buy part of Coonskin park in Charleston. Coonskin is used by families and businesses regularly for get togethers and/or to use the many amenities provided there like mini golf, paddle boats, golf, fishing, swimming, soccer field, parks, trails, and much more. more »

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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11
Aug

10 Tips for Back to School

  1.  Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don’t know well or don’t trust.
  2.  Teach your children to yell “that’s not my Daddy/Mommy” when approached by a stranger.  Bystanders often ignore a child that is yelling “help” or “stop” because they think they are throwing a temper tantrum.
  3.  Be sure that your child knows his or her parents real name, home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for emergencies.
  4.  Children who walk to school should use sidewalks whenever possible. On streets with no sidewalks, walk on the side of the road, facing traffic.
  5.  Walk the school route along with your children before the first day of school to make sure it is safe and your child knows the route.When you can’t walk with your children, encourage them to walk with a friend .Encourage your kids to avoid short cuts unless they have been approved.
  6.  Cross the street at least 12 feet in front of the school/city bus, where the bus driver can see them and they can see the bus driver.
  7.  Never put a child’s name on their backpack or any place it’s visible to strangers.  Using a child’s name is one of the first and easiest ways for a stranger to establish trust with your child.
  8.  When home alone tell children to keep doors locked at all times, and never open the door. Tell children that they should never give out personal information over the phone, or volunteer family schedules or whereabouts to callers they do not know.
  9.  Tell children to never approach the car of someone asking for directions, or agree to help an adult search for something. If they sense trouble from a stranger, they should run to the nearest public place for help.
  10.  Teach your children the difference between appropriate touching and touching that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable. Tell them that they should talk to you if anyone — a family friend, neighbor, baby sitter or relative — tried to touch their body.

If you have any tips for parents or children please share them in the comment section below.

About DAWG

Direct Action Welfare Group (DAWG) is a statewide grassroots organization comprised of current and former public assistance recipients, low wage workers, people living in poverty, and concerned individuals who come together to share information and ideas and to advocate for each other, their neighbors, and themselves. Direct Action Welfare Group’s vision is the end of poverty in West Virginia. In order to make this vision a reality, we advocate with low-income families for economic justice

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01
Jul

10 Tips To Protect Yourself In A Rape Culture.

Hey Sisters  I know it sucks that we even have to think about this sort of thing because boys should be taught not to rape. We  shouldn’t have to learn how help prevent tourselfs from being raped. I am a rape survivor and I want this post to be a learning tool for my sisters around the world to help prevent them having to go through what I went through. I know this is stuff that alot of us have been taught since we were kids but it is good to have a refresher course and if you don’t know now you will. more »

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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23
Jun

Its about human rights

  Who you love does not change who you are.

Ok so I was asked by alot of people in the past few days. “Why would you support Gays?” “I thought you were straight?” “Did you turn lesbian?”  “You think gays should be aloud to get married and have kids?” “Don’t you know god hates gays and its not ok to disobey god?”

 

Well I have a few questions for you! Why don’t you support Gay Rights? I thought you had a heart? Why are we friends? Why shouldn’t adults be aloud to get married and have kids? Isn’t judging others disobeying god?

Imagine this The government walks into your house and says “Its now illegal for you to be married now you are officially not recognized as a couple by the government.” So now you have no rights you cant visit each other in the hospital, you can’t make health decisions for each other, you can’t adopt each others kids, you can’t be on each others health insurance, you are no longer a family in the eyes of the law.  Now imagine your spouse is on their death bed you want to be with them in the hospital but because you are not recognized as a married couple by the government you cant you must sit in the waiting room knowing your spouse is dying and wants you with them more than anything but because the government doesn’t recognize your marriage they will die alone in a hospital room. Sounds crazy right? Thats what happens everyday to same sex couples all over the world. Now my question to you is how would you feel being in their shoes?

A  friends son who I have known since he was a baby looked up at me one day out of the blue and said I have two mommies and my friend has two daddies. Do you have two mommies or two daddies? I said I have one mommy and one daddy. He said well thats ok too. If a four year old gets why can’t grown adults get it.

My supporting LGBTQ Rights has nothing to do with my sexual orientation. I really shouldn’t have to answer such questions but here you go. I am straight I was born straight have always been straight I am only attracted to men, I did not turn lesbian because you don’t just turn lesbian it doesn’t work that way!! I support LGBTQ Rights because I support Human Rights! Everyone should have the right to marry who they love. Everyone deserves to love who they love and not be persecuted for loving someone of the same sex. As long as all people involved are consenting adults its their business what they do and who they do it with.

Its not about whether you are gay or straight, black or white its about  love, family, equality and human rights!! Who are you to judge someone else?

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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16
Dec

This holiday season.

A moment of silence

 

I heard some Christmas Carols today one verse really got to me “Tis the season to Jolly” This song has never made me cry before but after what happened in Newtown CT, I couldn’t think of anything but the faces of the crying parents and children. This Christmas my heart is heavy for families in Newtown they will not be able to hold their children anymore they wont see them open their Christmas presents instead they will be burying their children, something no parent should ever have to do. The teachers both the ones who were killed and the ones who survived are heroes in my eyes they did what they could to protect the children.

My heart goes out to all those families missing a family member this season, and to the survivors they will never be the same, Their lives are forever changed. Schools are suppose to be a safe place, I know the staff did everything they could to protect the children once the shooter was in the building but this should not have happened. How does the universe allow something like this to happen? Innocent Children should not have to fear for their lives, Innocent children should not be murdered, School should be a safe place!!

I wish their was something I could do to fix this but I cant and that really bothers me I am the kind of person who wants to fix everything and make it all better but no one can make it all better nothing we do can change what happened, nothing we do can bring those children and teachers back, nothing we do can erase this from the minds of the surviving children, there is nothing we can do but grieve with the families and hope everyone talks to a counselor to try and work through what happened.

If I could ask Santa for one wish this Christmas it would be turn back time and prevent this from happening. I know that no one will ever forget this no matter how young they are, I still remember the Oklahoma daycare bombing April 19, 1995, I was 7 I only saw it on TV for a few minutes but I remember it like it was yesterday, you don’t forget tragedies like this.

About Beth Dortch

I am an unofficial student meaning I am not enrolled in school but I am surrounded by very educated organizers from many different movements who have lived history and have accepted me as a student and young leader.

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