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Show Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday December 5, 2000 13A HOLIDAY CHEER Holidays difficult for children of divorce The holiday season is a difficult one for the children of families in the midst of divorce, or w here a s divorce has recently occurred. wishes to spend the holidays with their children often lead to disagreements and can leave the Fur-ent- kids feeling stressed as they shuttle between houses. It's little wonder that family courts are topically busy in December with emergency custody battles. A recent book from the Ameri- can Counseling Association, Don't Divorce Us! Kids' Advice to Divorcing Parents, offers some worthwhile suggestions on helping minimize the pain of divorce for children during the holiday season as well as other times of the year. Working from a unique perspective, the book combines the suggestions of experienced counselors with the insights and advice of children who have actually lived through the divorce experience. It is the real-lif- e comments, observations and insights from the children of divorce that offer some of the most meaningful advice in this book. The comments of one 1 boy, reflecting on his parents divorce, is particularly apt for the holiday season: Remember that the children are the most important thing. Think of them first, not jour own auger, or your own hurt, but them. While there is no simple formula to protect children from the trauma of the divorce process, there are a number of things parents can do, especially during stressful times such as the holidays, to minimize the pain their children may be experiencing. - Keep the kids out of the battlefield. Don't fight in front of them and don't involve them in the arguments. - Keep the kids informed. Making believe everything is fine fools no one. Don't share all the gory details, but let the kids know w hat is happening. - Don't allow the kids to take sides. That also means don't force them to take your side. - Assure the kids its not their fault, and assure them over and over. Kids are sponges for guilt they're used to making mistakes and getting blamed. During the holidays they may feel even more strongly that the family is apart because of something they did or are doing. - Keep communication open. It can be difficult and emotionally draining, but encourage your kids -- to ask questions, to discuss what they're feeling and what's worrying them. Provide honest, helpful answers, not negative propaganda about vour spouse. - Make sure your children know havent you loving them. stopH-- can be confusing, and terrifying, to learn that ones parents have stopped loving one another. Kids need to be reassured that their parents' love for them hasnt disappeared. It Don't Divorce Us! Kids Advice to Divorcing Iarents" was written and bv John Sommers-Flanaga- n Rita a husbateam of psychologists, Sommers-rianaga- nd-wife in n, collaboration with Chelsea Elander, Ritas daughter and a grown child of divorce herself. The book offers practical advice on helping children understand and handle the divorce process, as well as insights into the issues that follow a divorce, including stepparenting, dating, and parenting. Dont Divorce Us" ($15.95) is published by the American Counseling Association and is available in local bookstores, online at Amazon.com, or directly from the American Counseling Association ext. 222. at double-household- es s, long-distan- tis the season for holiday snacking Deck the halls and dont forget to x foods that stock up on can make the season even merrier. Keep such staples as celery, olives, string cheese, pickles and pretzels on hand to assemble a quick snack for seasonal visitors. Santa may find them a lot more satisfying than milk and cookies. Another appetizing idea is to have plenty of vour favorite meats on hand, such as Old Wisconsin deli beef or pepperoni sticks; black pepper pate, braunschweiger and summer sausage. These tasty meats keep well and easy-to-fi- Photo by Patsy Stoddard A young scout makes his Christmas wishes known to Santa at the Christmas Craft Fair at Gordons Nursery in Huntington. can be served with cheese to make apX'tizing trays or snacks. Beef sticks can be served with cheese and bagels on a tray or arranged with cheddar or port wine checseballs. Or you can cut wedges of hot pepper Monterey Jack and Colby Ixmghorn cheeses alternated with e beef sticks. Another alternative is to roll thin slices of cheese around pepperoni sticks, served with honey mustard. Add a few olives, celery sticks and babv carrots and youre all set bite-siz- for seasonal snacking. This savory recipe for Holiday Canapes comes from Old Wisconsin. Holiday Canapes Blend together 4 ounces of cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of sour cream and 1 tablespoon of horseradish. Peel 1 summer sauk slices and sage, cut it into place each slice on a piece of dark party rye. Top with 1 teaspoon of the sauce, a sprig of parsley, and a slice of pimiento. (Makes about 30 canapes) (N.VPSA) quick-to-prepa- re l4"-thic- Perfect gifts require crafty ideas Finding the perfect holiday gift for that special child on vour list isnt always easy. It's hard to get past the expensive video games, pins anil the violent action figure of the moment to find a toy that vv ill help kids use their imaginations. If you're looking for gifts that inspire children to communicate and use their creativity, you may find yourself reverting back to classic toys you loved as a kid, such as building blocks, clay and finger paints. These classic toys along vv ith a few modem updates of these themes challenge the expen-siv- e and often v iolent video games that make parents run for cover. Break the mold. Kids love to e make things. toys, such as building blin ks and modeling clay, never p out of style. They allow children to create their ow n unique w orlds and encourage them to liHik at things in new and Touch-intensiv- different ways. 2. lhit a twist on it. One of the hottest new tovs this holiday season is Rondos, a line of collectible, non-vi- o lent action figures (think(!umby.but with a modern look) that bend and pose in infinite ways. Each of the Bcndos characters stands 5 1 inches tall and has a distinctive identity. Help v our child figure out which of these personalities he or she most identifies with: Docker the skatelxMirder, lope the cheerleader or locus Pocus the wizard, to name a few. For a suggested list price of only $5, Bcndos inspire kids to let their imaginations run wild as they interact with these unique and wholesome characters in hundreds UK) 2 1 1 .TELCOM of different wavs. long Distance FFA NEWS -- 7' m P VYTfV C m 11: it Personal 800 Number S' '' 4 .iM' f a H J! .. a f LLsent crafts k The Emery Junior Childrens Hospital. I . FFA ft P, 4 I j : ' for the Festival of Trees to be sold to benefit the Primary "I t t Y W 'i . : VA ( P P P P P P P P P P P P P P Call Home From Anywhere in the U.S. One Flat Rate, $0.15 per minute. No Monthly Fee or Surcharge So called savings on collect plans? Get The Real Scoop! Save 81 over and 1 with Emery Telcoms Personal 800 Number -8- 00-Collect Call Us Today!! www.emerytelcom.net 435-748-22- The FFA also had their Chapter Greenhand ceremonies that were held on Nov. 1 6 Members who received awards were Cass'e Randall. Kurry Jensen, Crystal Anderson, and Jenifer Ewell. It was a great success and everyone had a great time. 4- - I 23 P P P P P P P P P P P P |