>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

There has been much discussion lately about the causes for the increase in child abuse and neglect reports across the state.

Some attribute it to the meth epidemic, others to budget cuts to programs and an inability to respond. Still others look at the economic climate and stress of unemployment and underemployment.

There are many contributors to why people might be abusive or neglectful toward the children in their care, but the Number 1 cause cited in research is parent or caregiver lack of information about normal child development.

This lack of basic knowledge leads to unrealistic expectations of a child's ability to do certain tasks, to care for themselves or to respond emotionally.

Children can giggle with joy one moment and cry in sadness the next. Children feel their emotions strongly but don't always know how to cope with them. Children need the adults in their life to teach them about feelings.

Emotions start at birth, and every child feels emotions in unique ways. Helping a child learn about feelings is an important part of parenting. When we share emotional moments with our children, we grow closer.

Children react differently to life situations. Some seem to be born with an easygoing personality. From infancy, they take life in stride, getting along with others and adjusting to changes. Other children are upset easily, bothered by new situations and routines as well as more challenging events.

Children's personalities develop from what they inherit genetically and from the environment in which they grow up. We cannot change children's characteristics, but we can help them learn ways to manage their feelings. Our job is to recognize a child's feelings and to respond appropriately when needed.

Many of the same stressors we feel as adults are felt by our children. When we are worried over finances, grieving the death of a loved one, experiencing a range of emotions over the break up of a relationship or addicted to drugs or alcohol, our children may be experiencing similar feelings and will show signs of stress.

Even pleasant or positive times of change can be stressful to a child. Starting school, getting used to a new baby, moving to a new house or town, going to visit grandparents or sleep-away camp can be stressful events for a child.

Signs of stress in children often occur together, but no one child shows all symptoms at once. Some physical signs of child stress include headaches, stomach aches, vomiting or wetting.

Emotionally, they may be fearful, irritable or sad. Behavioral signs might include crying, developing a nervous tic or losing their temper more frequently or explosively. Their usual interactions with others may change. They may withdraw, show extreme shyness or tease and bully.

Knowing our child and understanding how children express emotions can help us respond to their needs.

As the caring adult in the life of a child we can do three things. We can listen. A caring ear can work wonders, especially when a child knows that feelings are normal and that you understand them.

We can help a child learn about emotions by naming them. Naming emotions can have a calming effect, and it helps a child discover more about what emotions are and how they work.

We can help find solutions. When emotions are strong, we can talk with a child about feelings and about appropriate behavior.

We all want to be good parents. None of us said, "When I have children I want to be abusive to them." Good parenting takes work. Ask a trusted friend, family member or neighbor about the parenting resources in our community.

And if you are that trusted friend, family member or neighbor of a struggling parent, reach out with support and information.

Caring for children is a community task. Involve yourself in the life of a child.

Sandra Leavitt is director of the Mount Emily Safe Center.

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Hed here

To the Editor:

My husband and I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the many individuals who have gone far beyond their duty and have shown love, compassion, true kindness and caring to T.J., our son who has Down Syndrome and is a senior at Union High School.

The many teachers, aides, secretaries, football players, coaches, football moms, cooks, students, as well as the principal and superintendent have shown acceptance and friendship to T.J. They've also shown patience and understanding, not only during school hours but far beyond.

T.J.'s life has been enriched by you. Life isn't always so sweet for those with handicaps. For T.J. it couldn't have been better.

Melody and Jim Huitt, Union

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The Union County Board of Commissioners championed the cause of local outdoor enthusiasts on two issues at their recent meeting.

The first issue was the vacation of Philberg Road petitionedby four private landowners with hopes of increasing their property value at the expense of closing access to public land. The commissioners recognized the importance of access to this piece of land and denied the petition as well as requiring the removal of an illegally placed gate across the public road.

The second issue was a vote of support for the Mount Emily Recreation Coalition. In both cases the commissioners unanimously supported the need for more public access to free and responsible recreation opportunities. John Lamoreau was particularly eloquent on both issues.

Trent Bray, owner of The Bobolink birder's shop, took a leadership role in increasing awareness of the Philberg Road vacation petition. Without his efforts in letting people know about this and encouraging a letter-writing campaign, this request could have easily slipped through unnoticed.

Hopefully this will only be the beginning of his work to preserve public access in Union County. Stop by his store on Washington St. and thank him in person.

I urge the public to continue to use these areas responsibly. Access to private and public lands can be lost very quickly if they are not given the respect that they deserve.

Bryan Bloebaum, La Grande

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This summer your Department of Transportation is ramping up bridge and highway construction on Interstate 5. You've probably already noticed the work zones in the Salem area, near Eugene and throughout southern Oregon. Many of these projects are being funded by the Oregon Transportation Investment Act.

The intent of the OTIA program is to make improvements that will keep people, goods and services moving safely and effectively by modernizing our most important transportation corridors. As part of OTIA, we are repairing and replacing bridges, widening lanes and performing essential maintenance throughout the state.

The I-5 corridor is Oregon's central transportation artery. Serving commerce, commuters, tourists and our economy, a smooth-functioning I-5 is critical to our collective quality of life. Since it was built in the 1950s,

I-5 freight volume has increased, the dimensions and weight of loads have grown, and an overall greater volume of traffic puts more pressure on the system every day.

Our work will strengthen this vital roadway and help maintain unrestricted routes for trucks, tourists and travelers. Simply put, making improvements to I-5 is not only an investment in the Oregon transportation infrastructure, it is an investment in the economic health of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.

ODOT mobility engineers have developed unique approaches to help keep traffic moving during these upgrades. By estimating possible delays in work zones and coordinating timelines for multiple projects, we are working to keep delays to a minimum. Whenever possible, construction will be scheduled for off-peak or night hours to maintain traffic flow.

Your help is needed to make these efforts truly successful. Major road construction, even with state-of-the-art traffic planning, can cause delays. We are asking you to be prepared for intermittent disruptions. Most important, we urge you to slow down in work zones and be patient. Our motto is, "Better roads are ahead!"

To help you plan your trips and avoid delays, ODOT maintains two sources of up-to-date information: TripCheck.com and 5-1-1. TripCheck.com provides detailed information on construction projects, including anticipated delay times, as well as incidents, weather and other conditions affecting your trip. You can get the same information by calling 5-1-1.

Oregonians have always understood the importance of a strong transportation system in supporting a healthy economy. Oregon was the first state on the West Coast to complete I-5 construction from border to border, and we are now leading the way in improving this key 50-year-old highway.

It took the combined efforts of the people from public and private sectors to build our historic interstate. Now that same partnership is working together to rebuild it for a safer, stronger future.

Matt Garrett is the director of the Oregon Department of Transportation.

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We have owned our property for 12 years, and in this time there have been many different parties wanting to rent and use the property east of us.

None of them wanted to bring the property into compliance with the land-use codes. The city planning department has continuously recommended exceptions to the codes in favor of the proposed tenants and occupants that would be detrimental to our property value and our business.

The excuses for non-compliance with the land-use laws are varied with the latest one claiming a seasonal business. What if the owners decide to change the way they operate their business such as to year-round use or lease it out when they are not using the property?

However, the planning department continues to allow the property be used in violation of the land-use codes and not make the property be brought into compliance with the laws before using it.

The latest owner this year brought in several motor homes, trailers, refrigerated trucks, refrigerated trailers, storage trailers, three industrial-grade furnace dryers and a portable toilet.

The planning department tells us we should talk to the owners. I have talked to them. They want to negotiate with us. What we want is the city to enforce the zoning laws.

The planning department tells us the building on the adjoining property is in compliance with commercial codes. I would encourage everybody in the city to come to 2400 Adams Ave., look at the property to the east and see if you think this property is in compliance with the commercial zone requirements for La Grande.

The planning department is having a meeting on July 11 at 6 p.m. on this matter. I encourage the people of La Grande to attend.

Lanny and Juanita Robson, Quail Run Motor Inn, La Grande

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My husband and I had the opportunity to attend the first annual Eagle Cap Shooters Association Machine Gun Shoot June 17 and 18. For this first time out the club did a fantastic job. It was well organized and ran very smoothly. We have attended other machine-gun shoots, and in my opinion this was a much better event. Many of us traveled four and five hours to get to Enterprise, but it was well worth the drive.

What a beautiful town. We were pleased to see the Howitzer prominently displayed in front of the Courthouse.

The sandwich boards placed on the main road were very helpful in directing us in the right direction.

As far as the shoot, it was a very safe environment, there was plenty of room between firing spaces, they had a nice long range with a good backstop and a great spectator area that allowed people to see over the tops of our shade covers. The chief range safety officer was the best that I've seen, and the range safety officers did an excellent job of assisting when needed, and treated us with respect.

They had a lot of different targets for us to shoot at, and replaced and reset them every two hours, which gave us a chance to socialize and answer questions for the spectators.

This was the first time we had participated in a night shoot with this many people. We were impressed, and there was a huge round of applause after the cease-fire was called. It was definitely a sight to see. I hope those who came out to watch the show had as much fun as we did putting it on for them.

We are looking forward to going back next year.

D. Lingo, Columbia River Gorge