Posted: 26 Sep 2010 12:46 AM PDT

I've got a new tool in my arsenal of persuasion, and it's called Walt Disney World.

Disney's big-eared talking mouse and his pals in Florida hold tremendous power over children, I learned soon after booking a trip to the Magic Kingdom for our family.

Now, with a single word, "Disney," I can put an end to whining and bickering and get the kids to do their chores.

Stops at the grocery store with the little ones in tow used to be full of nagging: "Can you buy me a toy? Can I have some candy? M-o-o-o-o-m! YOU NEVER BUY US ANYTHING!" Huff, puff, foot stomp.

I used to say: "We didn't come to the store for that," or "Mommy and Daddy don't have the money to buy toys today." But now, I have this more effective response: "We're saving our money for Disney World. Don't you want to go to Disney?"

And, magically, as if with a swoop of a fairy godmother's wand, there is silence. There is cooperation. There is even on occasion an eagerness to help out.

At first, 5-year-old Julia was concerned that she'd have to foot the bill for the whole trip out of her meager piggy bank savings. She began to fret, so I had to explain it a little more fully.

"You're going to want all kinds of special things while we're there," I told her. "Mommy and Daddy will pay for the trip and your food and drinks, but we're not buying dozens of toys and stuffed animals and other extra things. For that, you'll need your own spending money."

Now, all the found nickels, pennies and dimes go into their Disney piggy banks. A red piggy bank for Sarah, a blue one for Julia. Money from the toys they sold at my parents' garage sale this summer got divided evenly and tucked inside their banks. An added bonus: We decluttered the house of toys they no longer use.

Julia has begun to straighten out the piles of mismatched shoes in the mudroom. She's been a little more willing to pick up the clothes and toys from the floor of her own room since she knows it will earn her a dollar a week in Disney money.

Money is motivation, even when you're 5 and it's just a buck a week.

Little sis Sarah, 2, hasn't been as quick to catch on. She doesn't have Disney fever to the same extent (probably because the "Magic of Disney" marketing campaign is targeted a little above her age range). But she loves putting change in her piggy bank. She's learning, too, how to save money, how to delay gratification -- saying no today for something she'll be able to afford tomorrow. These are things too many Americans seem to have lost the ability to do.

Every now and then, weakness creeps in. Julia will see a Webkinz that's calling her name from the store shelf, or a Barbie that's "really cool, Mom!"

And I have to remind her that there will be really cool stuff at Disney, too, and that she can always put the toys she wants on her wish list for Santa.

Poor old Santa. He's going to need a mighty big sled this year.

Contact features editor KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com

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Marcos Breton: Kindergarten bill would help spare kids the pain I felt - Sacramento Bee

Posted: 26 Sep 2010 12:04 AM PDT

I don't have to wonder if my childhood would have been fuller and less traumatic if I had started kindergarten a year later than I did.

I know it.

Beginning kindergarten at age 5, instead of 4, would have given me a leg up to succeed developmentally and emotionally in ways that eluded me in my school years.

A Public Policy Institute of California review of 14 studies found that students who wait to start kindergarten score better on reading and math tests.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has the power to make this law. On his desk is a bill by Sen. Joe Simitian, a Palo Alto Democrat, that would roll back the date by which entering kindergartners must turn 5 from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1.

Please sign it, Governor.

It's hard to describe the damage done when a kid feels dumb. That's how I often felt from the fall of 1967, when I started kindergarten at age 4, to the spring of 1980 when I graduated from high school at 17.

Being a November-born kid often meant being the youngest student in class. The main casualty in my young life was self-confidence.

That's not an issue for me today. On Tuesday night, a nationwide audience will see me featured prominently in the new PBS documentary on baseball by acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick.

But as a kid my story was wrapped in self-doubt.

It began that first day of kindergarten, when separation anxiety from my parents caused me to bolt out an open door when my teachers weren't looking.

Can you imagine? I can still picture my teacher and her assistant frantically running after me in their sensible shoes and bouffant hairdos. The ensuing years brought so-so grades. I often faded into the background, shrank from challenges and withdrew within myself while life swirled around me.

What saved me were my late parents, immigrants from Mexico who wanted the best for my brother and me – even if they didn't always know how to help us achieve the best academically.

And at 19, I found a purpose – journalism.

I don't blame my teachers, though I was moved along in San Jose's public schools in the 1970s with remedial skills, particularly in math.

Even in my loving house there were bad study habits that should have been addressed much sooner.

Simitian's bill can't solve all the issues, but it does call for transitional kindergarten, which could be a godsend for poorer families who can't afford preschool.

It also allows exceptions for parents who want their kids to start kindergarten at age 4.

Signing this bill could be one of the last, best gestures Schwarzenegger can extend to Californians before leaving the state Capitol.

Our jails and unemployment rolls are populated with former kids who bombed out at school.

Without love and good fortune, that could have been me.

Call The Bee's Marcos Breton, (916) 321-1096.

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Shoe-In gives kids who need ‘em new shoes - MySanAntonio

Posted: 18 Sep 2010 03:19 AM PDT

A single mother of four, Myeshia Holt always donated to charitable organizations when she had extra money. Now, after being unemployed for four months, Holt has found herself turning to some of those same groups for assistance.

"You never know when it is going to be you that needs the help," said Holt at the Salvation Army's 29th annual Shoe-In for Kids, a program that gives needy children free shoes. "It is important to donate money whenever you have the opportunity."

All four of Holt's children received a free pair of shoes and socks at the giveaway Saturday.

"They probably wouldn't have gotten new shoes until their old ones got holes in them," Holt said.

Her children were among the 2,806 others who were chosen for the program, according to Major Albert Villafuerte, area commander for the Salvation Army San Antonio area command.

"We have children from all over San Antonio come in," Villafuerte said. "They are referred by their school teachers, who usually know which students need help the most."

Nearly 300 volunteers work the event, which costs the Salvation Army about $30,000, Villafuerte said. Donations and government grants help sponsor the Shoe-In.

"All of our programs are experiencing an increase in demand and need," Villafuerte said. "It has been difficult dealing with the economy because our level of donations is not keeping up with the services provided."

Villafuerte said they had 11 percent more children who registered for the Shoe-In compared to last year.

Some of these children come to the program wearing adult-sized hand-me-downs, shoes with holes in them or are just barefoot, said Gracie Flores, who has volunteered at the event for eight years. Once, she met a child who had never owned a pair of socks.

Kids Shoes

Sunday, September 26, 2010

“Kids straighten up, fly right with promise of pixie dust - Detroit Free Press” plus 2 more

“Kids straighten up, fly right with promise of pixie dust - Detroit Free Press” plus 2 more

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