Summer2001 Vol.16No.2 ISSN1042-3559 StrengtheningFamilies AssistingChildrenof ThroughEducation Separated,Divorced, AndAdvocacy andNever-Married Parents TheQuarterlyNewsletteroftheChildren’sRightsCouncil,Inc. 300“I”StreetN.E.,Suite401,Washington,D.C.20002-4389Email:[email protected] Phone(202)547-6227Fax(202)546-4272Websites:gocrc.comandinfo4parents.com INTHISISSUE: The Myth of The Fading Family CRCView ...................... 4 byE.J.DionneJr. SharedParenting WashingtonPostcolumnist ConferenceHighlights... 5 ReprintedwithpermissionfromtheWashingtonPost,Tuesday,May22,2001 CallUsStepfamilies,not BlendedFamilies ........... 5 Amonghouseholdswithchildren,accordingto E. J. Dionne, Jr. says thenewCensusBureaufigures,71.8%areledby ElementsofNon-Profit Fundraising .................... 6 Census Bureau finds 70 marriedcouples.That’sdownfrom76.1%ade- Percent of Families with cadeago,and93%in1960.So,yes,thetwo-parent WelfareReform ............ 7 Children are Headed by familyhashaditsproblemsinthepast40years. BritishEmbassyBenefit Butifahouseholdincludeschildren,theoddsare ReceptionforCRC ........ 8 a Couple Rather than by early3to1thatitwillbeledbyacouplerather a Single Parent ConferenceAwards ....... 9 thanasingleparent. AndtheCensusBureau’sCurrentPopulation BookNook .................. 10 Surveyoffersevidencethatthedeclineofthetwo- ConferenceSnapshots . 12 Youwouldthinkfromreadingtheheadlines parentfamilystoppedinthemid-1990s.Thatisbig, thatthemom-and-dad-and-kidsfamilyisinastate Books,Videos, underreported--andheartening--news,especiallyif oftotalcollapseinAmerica.Thoseheadlinesare Buttons .................. 13–20 itisconfirmedinthecomingyears. basedonaccuratereportingofcertaindatafrom Between1990and1996,therewasacontinu- Addt’lFindingsthat the2000Census. ingdeclineintheproportionofhouseholdswith OvernightsbyInfantswith Buttheheadlinesarewrong.Thetwo-parent OtherParentAreFine 21 familyisstillthenorminAmerica. Continuedonpage3 FederalCampaign ....... 22 AudioCassetteOrder Summer2001CRCCollegeStudentInterns Form ............................ 24 EqualParents’Week... 25 ForgiveTheirDebts .... 26 BushIssuesNat’lChild’s DayProclamation ........ 27 BillsinCongress .......... 28 FamilyFacts ................. 29 NationalAffiliate Organizationsand Chapters ...................... 30 (l to r) Eleanor Zandstein, Susanne Bielaski, Natalia Swalnick, Jessica Brooks, Samantha Shapiro, Katherine Potter, Contributors ................ 31 Kelli Lydon, Ron Varga. Intern Patricia Lopez is seated at right. CRCisamemberof “SpeakOutforChildren”ispublishedbytheChildren’sRightsCouncil,Inc.Editor:DavidL.Levy.Contributorstothis issue:JulieMaggiacomo,AlEllis,PaulRobinson,KenSkilling,andcollegestudentinternsSusanneBielaski,Columbus SchoolofLawatCatholicUniversity;JessicaBrooks,WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis,PatricaLopez,Universityof CaliforniaatDavis;KelliLydon,St.Mary’sCollege;KatherinePotter,UniversityofNewHampshire;SamanthaShapiro, UniversityofCentralFlorida;NataliaSwalnick,SyracuseUniversity;RonVarga,BethanyCollege;␣ EleanorZandstein, UniversityofConnecticut,whoisanIsraeli.LayoutbySheilaHolzberger. The CRC TheChildren’sRightsCouncil step-parents,andotherswhoare Materialinthisnewsletterauthored (CRC)isaninternational,non-profitIRS partofthefamilyfabric,working byCRCmaybereprintedwithoutper- 501(c)(3)children’srightsorganization, asateam. mission,providedthesource(“Re- basedinWashington,D.C. •CRCenvisionsasocietywhere printedfromtheChildren’sRights Mission laws,attitudes,andpublicopinon Councilnewsletter‘SpeakOutforChil- •TheChildren’sRightsCouncil affirmthatforchildren,“TheBest dren,’Summer2001")isgiven.Fornon- (CRC)isaninternationalnon- ParentisBothParents.” CRCmaterial,obtainpermissionfrom profitorganizationcommittedto thecopyrightowner.Forfurtherinfor- theloving,nurturing,protecting Formedin1985byconcernedpar- mationaboutCRCmembership,publi- andeducationofchildrenthrough entswhohadmorethan40yearscollec- cations,cassettes,catalog,andservices, bothparentsandextendedfamily. tiveexperienceincustodyreformand write:CRC,300“I”StreetN.E.,Suite •CRCisdedicatedtohelping earlychildhoodeducation,CRChas 401,Washington,D.C.20002; phone childrenbypromotingfamily chaptersin32statesandfournational 202/547-6227202/547-6227(4272),fax202/546-4272, formation,sharedparenting, affiliateorganizations:MothersWithout [email protected]@erols.com.CRChastwo mediation,parenteducation,and Custody(MW/OC),TheStepfamily websites:www.gocrc.comwww.gocrc.com(ourmain mitigatingtheeffectsofdivorce AssociationofAmerica(SAA), CRCsite)and info4parents.cominfo4parents.com(for andrelationshipbreakupsof COMAMAS,andParentingCoalition expandedparentinginformation).Speak childrenandparents. International,Inc. OutforChildrenispublishedfourtimes Vision Prominentprofessionalsinthefields ayearandissentfreetomembers. Li- •CRC’svisionisasocietywhere ofreligion,law,socialwork,psychology, braryRate:$20.ayear.braryRate:$20.ayear.Sendletters, bothparentsplayasignificant childcare,education,business,andgov- commentsandarticlesforpublicationto parentingroleintheirchildren’s ernmentcompriseourFamilyAdvisory Editor,CRC. lives.Childrenneedgrandparents, Board. OFFICERSANDBOARD NATIONALSPOKESPERSONS: ADVISORS LarryGaughan,LarryGaughan,Professional MEMBERS GeraldA.Boarman,GeraldA.Boarman,Ed.D., RabbiMendelAbrams,RabbiMendelAbrams,D.Min. Director DavidL.Levy,DavidL.Levy,Esq.President AcademicEducation, FormerPresident,BoardofRabbis FamilyMediationofGreater JohnL.Bauserman,Jr.,JohnL.Bauserman,Jr.,Chairman MarylandandNorthCarolina ofGreaterWashington,DC Washington,D.C. SamuelA.Brunelli,SamuelA.Brunelli,CEO JudgeEugeneN.HamiltonJudgeEugeneN.Hamilton(ret’d), EloiseAnderson JonathanM.Goodson,JonathanM.Goodson,President IngridBough-Bell theJudiciary, TheClaremontInstitute MarkGoodsonProductions JohnL.Bauserman,Sr. Washington,D.C. Sacramento,California LosAngeles,California TeresaL.Kaiser,TeresaL.Kaiser,J.D. JudgeRichardA.WaldronJudgeRichardA.Waldron(ret’d) ElizabethHickey,ElizabethHickey,M.S.W., DavidBirney,DavidBirney,Actor Hon.BobGraham LeeYarborough ParentingEducation, SantaMonica,California U.S.Senator(D-FL) SaltLakeCity,Utah Hon.SherwoodBoehlert JenniferIsham,JenniferIsham,President HONORARYPRESIDENT JayneA.Major,JayneA.Major,Ph.D., U.S.Congressman(R-NY) MothersWithoutCustody(MW/ CatherineMeyer,CatherineMeyer,author, BreakthroughParenting, JimCook,JimCook,President OC) wifeoftheBritish LosAngeles JointCustodyAssociation CrystalLake,Illinois AmbassadortotheU.S. DwightTwilley,DwightTwilley,PopSinger/Author, LosAngeles,California JoanB.Kelly,JoanB.Kelly,Ph.D. Tulsa,OK “DearAbby” Vice-President,CaliforniaDispute GENERALCOUNSEL ResolutionInstitute,CorteMadera MichaelL.Oddenino WesUnseld,WesUnseld,VPWashington (AbigailVanBuren) Arcadia,California Wizards,Member,NBAHallof LosAngeles,California ElisabethKubler-Ross,ElisabethKubler-Ross,M.D. Fame,ParentingEducation, KarenDeCrow Author,Psychiatrist DIR.OFCHILDACCESS Washington,D.C. FormerPresidentofN.O.W. Scottsdale,Arizona SERVICES AudreyWise,AudreyWise,Ed.D.,M.A., Jamesville,NewYork VickiLansky,VickiLansky,Author/Columnist AlfredEllis FamilyCounselor/Mediator, ElliottH.Diamond Deephaven,Minnesota NewYorkCity Co-Founder,CRC JamesLevine,JamesLevine,TheFatherhood OFFICEMANAGER Reston,Virginia Project JulieMaggiacomo EVALUATORSOFRESEARCH PhyllisDiller,PhyllisDiller,Comedienne TheFamilyandWorkInstitute JohnGuidubaldi,JohnGuidubaldi,D.Ed. LosAngeles,California NewYork,NewYork CHILDSPOKESPERSON: D.RichardKuhn HadassahLuther,HadassahLuther,age13 MargorieEngel,MargorieEngel,Ph.D.,President Hon.DebbieStabenow U.S.Senator(D-MI) FAMILYADVISORYBOARD StepfamilyAssociationofAmerica GRANDPARENT Chairman, WarrenFarrell,WarrenFarrell,Ph.D.,Author Hon.FredThompson SPOKESPERSONS: CliftonAlanClark,Sr. formerMemberoftheBoardof U.S.Senator(R-TN) ErnieAshworth,ErnieAshworth,Member,Grand formerCRCDirectorof Directors,NewYorkCityN.O.W. OleOpry,andBettyeAshworth Development Leucadia,California Page 2 Speak Out For Children Summer 2001 Fading Family • In1970,theproportiondropped thefamily.”Mymother-in-law,oneof to38.8% themostfamily-orientedpeopleIknow, Continuedfrompage1 • In1980,itwasdownto30.8% livesinanapartmentupstairsfromone • In1990,itwas25.6%. ofhersons.Yettheword“household” childrenheadedbycouples.Butthere • In2000,itwas23.5%. wouldbecountedagainstthefamily, hasbeennodeclinesincethen.Infact, Themuchrepeatedline,entirely becausetechnically,shelivesalone. between1999and2000,therewasa true,isthatforthefirsttime,married- Noneofthisshoulddiminishour modest,thoughperhapsstatisticallyin- couples-with-kidsfamiliesrepresentless concernforthedifficultiesfacedbychil- significant,increaseintheproportionof thanaquarterofallAmericanHouse- dreninsingle-parenthouseholds.You householdswithchildrenheadedbytwo holds. don’thavetobeaconservativetobe- parents. Butnoticeafewthingsaboutthese lievethatonthewhole,twoparentsare “Whenyoulookatjusttwopoints numbers.First,themarried-couples- farbetterthanone.AsJonathanRauch intime,”saysJasonFields,afamilyde- with-kidshomesdidnotconstitutea arguesinthecurrentissueofNational mographerintheCensusBureau’s majorityofhouseholdsevenin1960,the Journal,“childrenraisedinsinglepar- populationdivision,referringto1990 ageof“OzzieandHarriet”and“Fathers enthomesareatgreaterriskofpoverty, and2000,“youmissthefactthatthe knowsBest.”That’sbecausekidsgrow schooldropout,delinquency,teenpreg- trendshaveleveledoffinthelate1990s. upandmoveout.Ourgrandparents,if nancyandadultjoblessness.”Wecan Theincreaseinsingle-motherfamilies theylivedlongenough,knewwhatitfelt debatehowtohelpthosekids,butwe