(Updated Oct. 15, 2009 - Dad released from Japanese jail. See link below.)

In what can easily be described as a shining example of a Dad wanting to keep his children safe from a selfish Mother, the story of Christopher Savoie is one that should not be forgotten.

After cheating on his wife and causing the collapse of his marriage (note: we're not going to sugarcoat it just because he's a Dad), he and his wife went through a bitter divorce. They argued about everything. Accusations and nasty emails were flying. Court dates were becoming common place. Unfortunately, this undoubtedly involved the children.

Christopher and his ex-wife Noriko were dual citizens of the United States and Japan. He was seriously concerned that if she were ever able to take the children to Japan he would never see them again. Japanese law -like that of most U.S. family courts- favors the Mother. Despite repeated promises to the court that she would not take the kids ("I have never thought about taking children away from their father, never," she told the judge.)

The judge did not agree with Christopher's concerns and granted Noriko the right to travel to Japan with the children. Shortly thereafter, Noriko absconded with the kids and refused to return to the U.S. A few days ago, Christopher went to Japan to get his children back. However, Japanese law stood in his way. Japan still considers him married to Noriko because they did not obtain a Japanese divorce. The children are Japanese. They have Japanese passports. Japanese family law favors the Mother in most custody disputes. Japan never signed the 1980 U.N. convention on child abduction.

Christopher took the children from his ex-wife while on their way to school. Dumb move Christopher. He immediately went to the nearest U.S. Consulate and while arguing with the guards, the local police had enough time to arrest him. He now sits in a Japanese jail.

Christopher Savoie is a Dad who wants to be involved with his kids. He loves his children. Despite making a series of stupid decisions like having an affair, marrying his mistress, and trying to kidnap his children in a foreign country, he still has every right to be an involved and loving Father.

We support your rights Christopher and hope to see you re-united with your children and back on U.S. soil soon. We hope you find a way to create a safe and loving family environment so that your children can be children and enjoy the process of growing up.

Original article - http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/02/japan.savoie.custody.battle/index.html

Update - Oct. 15, 2009 - Dad released from Japanese jail

How better for ProActiveDads' head cheerleader to introduce herself than to talk about something awesome for the whole family?!  Disney has been doing a lot of great promotions lately and the current one definitely is an awesome way to teach your kids about helping others.  The idea is to sign up for volunteer work at any of the many affiliated charities, spend the day helping out and in return be rewarded by Disney with your choice of a free park ticket, a fastpass ride lanyard, or the donation of a ticket to a child/family that couldn't otherwise afford to go to the park.  What a great way to sign up your family, do a good thing for others and in return get a good thing from Disney.  If you haven't already go and sign up, you'll be glad you were able to help make someone's day a little more of a celebration. - Patti

Go to http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day to register.

Breaching the topic of death with someone so new in the game of life is no easy task. This past Saturday, my wife and I made the decision to put our black lab, Blacky, to sleep. He had aged tremendously over the last couple of years and developed a slew of problems. His weakening legs caused him to trip on things and fall over on a regular basis, his breathing was incredibly labored, and his skin was drying out and causing a lot of shedding and itching for him. For his own sake, we decided we had to do for him what he could not.

That decision raised many issues about whether or not our one-year-old son would miss the dog. Would he even be aware that he was gone? Personally, I felt fortunate that he was too young to need an explanation of death and why Mommy and Daddy were killing his favorite dog. Contemplating the layers of life is a bit much for someone who just grasped the concept of sleeves.

I've had pets my entire life and, unfortunately, have seen more than a handful of pets at the end of their lives. I remember a book my parents gave me called The Fall of Freddie the Leaf which was a great book at simplifying death for children. In fact, I still have it in our home library and I'm sure I'll need to pass it on one day to my son.

Its been a few days now and my wife saw something yesterday which showed her that our son does indeed know the dog is missing. Over the last month or two, he has picked up the common yet less-than-helpful habit of sharing his food with the dogs. Just a simple drop over the left or right side of the chair and he seems to enjoy watching the pooches gobble up the goodies. Our black lab was the biggest of our three dogs and would occasionally eat food directly from his hand. Yesterday, he looked at both of our remaining dogs and let out a sort of grunt at each of them. Then, he seemed to scan the entire downstairs as well as backyard (through the glass doors) as if looking for the dog that was closer to his height. He had never done this before. We're both pretty certain he was looking for Blacky.

How did you deal handle the topic of death with your children? Did you have a book to make it easier? Share your experiences and suggestions in the comment section below. Thank you.

SingleDad.com Founder/ Member, RJ Jaramillo shares his fall travel journal with each of his three children. This month, follow RJ and his son Mossimo as they take a “Father & Son” fishing trip in Alaska.

This trip was actually scheduled for last year. My son had achieved straight A’s on his report card and we were planning to celebrate his achievement with a fishing trip to Alaska. Well, things didn’t go as planned. I wound up in the hospital from a horse riding accident and our trip had to be cancelled. Here we are one year later and we are back on schedule for our single dad and son trip of a life time. What makes this trip a little different from others is that we took a creative and cost savings approach. With the economy the way it is right now, we found a great way to save money on airfare, rental car and accommodations. I would like to share these tips with you as well as my “Single Parent Travel Video Blog” that we recorded along the way. I hope you and your family enjoy our experience.

Airfare
The airfare this year was one of the easiest items to secure. I had closed a credit card out last year and I had a 12 month grace period to use up the frequent flyer miles. Many people don’t know this little fact, but most credit card companies have to honor a grace period for you to use the miles. I had accumulated a lot of miles over the use of this card, and it was an ideal opportunity to pay for my flights. I had also discovered another cost savings method by asking a few friends of mine who had travel vouchers. Now, I am not recommending this, but I had a friend who knew a friend who booked a flight and traded the favor for another favor. These travel vouchers allow a person to book a flight in the name of another person. In summary, my total airfare for two adults was $350 roundtrip with the vouchers and frequent flyer exchange.

Rental Car and Accommodations
Now there are many ways to see and experience Alaska. There are the beautiful cruise ships, hotels, resorts and fishing lodges. All of these places fit a certain length of stay and budget. SingleDad.com is all about giving great advice to our members on saving money. I am on a budget and I needed to make the best of my resources. My son is at an age where all he wants is the maximum use of fishing time and he really isn’t concerned about where we stay or sleep. It’s my job to keep this trip affordable. The average cost of a rental car is around $100 dollars a day. The average in-season hotel stay is around $180 a night. As you can see with a 5-day trip, this could cost over $1,400 just for rental car and hotel. Not a very practical plan.

Solution: The RV
I asked my son about the idea of having a RV waiting for us at the airport and all he said, “Cool Dad, very cool…” The practicality of having your rental car transportation and hotel accommodations all in one was a perfect fit for us and I would highly recommend this to any SingleDad.com members. I contacted ABC RV rentals, (www.ABCmotorhome.com) and made the arrangements to having a fully gassed and stocked RV waiting for us at the Anchorage Airport Terminal. What made the decision even easier was that I was saving a lot of money as well. The average cost per night was $150 with an RV. I was saving over $130 a day with this option. I was greeted by Wayne, the General Manager at ABC Motor home, and he patiently taught me how to operate the RV. I felt comfortable and safe through the entire process of renting through ABC and I highly recommend ABC Motor Home, 1-800-421-7456. Now remember, this is a fishing trip with my son. Not everyone likes RV travel but for the purposes, the RV was ideal. We drove, we parked, we fished, we cooked, we slept in the RV. There is one highway in Anchorage and it goes through town. You either head North to Mt McKinley, or you go South to the ocean by Homer and the Kenai Peninsula. We pointed the RV North and headed in the direction of Wasilla, Alaska; hometown of Sarah Palin. We didn’t get a chance to see Sarah, nor did we get to see Russia for that matter…. But we did have the opportunity to find plenty of clean and available roadside campsites along the highway that would take RVs overnight. We found Willow Creek Resort, (907-495-6343) which is about 20 miles north of Wasilla. They are a full service campsite (water, electric and RV dump) a laundry room and hot showers for their guests. The site was very clean and everybody was friendly, including the bunnies that roam about the campsites. (see video) In addition, Willow Creek Resort offers fully equipped “Float Boats” that you can rent and fish down the creek. I recommend hiring a fishing guide to share their local knowledge on setting your fishing tackle the right way. My son and I spoke with the WCR’s local guide, Jay Sweet, who offers his fishing guide services and will float you and another fisherman down the banks of the Willow (call 907-495-6343 check for seasonal rates). Jay saved us a lot of time and made our father and son fishing trip a lifetime memory.

I would like to offer a special thanks to Rick Meredith for making this trip possible. Rick is one of my high school, college, life- long best friends, and a SingleDad Contributor. I was honored to be the best man at his wedding and he continues to make me proud in his service to the Armed Forces for over 20 years. He is a great father and a loving husband to Melissa, his wife of over 15 years. Another special acknowledgement goes to Erik Sjodin, Scott Long, Justin Callies, and their families who treated my son and I like we were part of their own family.

This trip taught me a lot about my son and how our relationship is changing as fast as he’s growing. I learned so much in such a short time. I love Alaska and will I bet that we will make this trip again with in the next 5 years. What I can share with every parent who is raising a teenager is to let them know that you care and they count. Give them room to grow and make their choices, but remind them you are always there to offer your support when needed. I am far from being a perfect father to my son, but it’s the knowing that keeps me trying…. Enjoy the video!

Make Life Happen…Again!

Other SingleDad.com tips on Single Parent Travel: Some of the best ways to get a deal on your next Single Parent Vacation is to apply these simple tips when planning your next trip:

1. When negotiating any arrangements, ask the simple question: “Do you offer a cash discount?” I saved on average 15%-20% by simply asking if they would offer a cash discount. This came in handy with local vendors and fishing guides.
2. Ship your large items. I went on the internet and located a UPS Store in Anchorage. When I called and spoke with the store manager, we made arrangements to have my heavy items such as my fishing waders and ice chests shipped ahead of my flight schedule. Make sure you plan ahead, shipping times and costs will vary, but this is a great way to save money. Keep your packages under 30lbs. for best results.
3. Cook in your RV. There is a reason that there is a stove and refrigerator on board, use them for more than making coffee and storing your beer!

Video Links:

Alaska Video/Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q270mnCzMHg

Alaska, Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FX63Brm5Pg

Just by looking at this face, you can tell he endured a few slaps as a child. This is Roger Stephens who currently stands accused of slapping a 2-year-old little girl in...you guessed it...Walmart!

As the little girl and her mother walked down an aisle in Walmart, she was crying. Police reports state (see original CNN article) that he approached the mother and said "If you don't shut the baby up, I will shut her up for you."

The met again on another aisle and, lo and behold, the little girl was still crying. Stephens, ALLEGEDLY, grabbed her and slapped her across the face four or five times.

At this point in the story, a few questions popped into my head. First, what did Mom do? I know a few Mothers that would have beat the Holy Ghost right out of Mr. Stephens. Some Mothers are less enthusiastic and probably would have screamed or begun to panic. Secondly, did anyone witness this? What did any of them do? Third, is slapping a child illegal in Georgia? There are still many states that allow corporal punishment of children and if he used an open hand (which he seemed to do, and is usually the standard in some states for child abuse), does the law permit him to do so or is the law worded only for parents?

Now here's the question I really want answered: Since Mr. Stephens seems to enjoy slapping girls, what would he have done if the 2-year-old was with her Daddy instead of Mommy? Would Mr. Child Beater have walked up to a 6-foot, 200-pound DAD and said "If you don't shut the baby up, I will shut her up for you"?  This poor bastard clearly has mental issues when it comes to the softer sex and I sincerely hope he's never raised his hand to a woman. But now that he's in jail, there may be a 6-foot, 200-pound cellmate saying "Late at night, if you don't shut up...I like it that way."

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