Monthly Report: International Communiques

First and foremost I would like to announce the birth of our second son. Thank you all for the supportive emails. I have been away from the blog for a few weeks due to heath complications of the mother and the child. Your kind words and prayers have been a source of additional strength.

Unlike the media doomsayers I still believe in this country and its currency. Thus I have a nice monetary stamp up here to keep the spirit alive. We'll make it through this silliness just like other challenges in the past. Don't bet against America.

The club has been making contact with international new outlets and other clubs to spread the word and discover what others are doing out there in their stamp world. I have been learning to appreciate the extensive expertise and passion of Indian collectors and their clubs. Very impressive sites, stamps and products. Plus it helps (me) they speak English. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I placed a few Indian stamp sites for others to explore and educate themselves.

We have also been putting together a proposal to support a few children's hospitals to assist very sick children with stamp collecting. One of the features is to include total kits that have vario pages, binders and credit card magnifiers. Children in these unfair circumstances need something positive to focus on. Perhaps something they can perform solitary in order to help them regain a sense of independence normally lost to chemo, medication, nursing and parades of people and programs also trying to lend a hand.

Welcome our friends from Canada. We are getting more inquires from that wonderful place high in the North. Always excited to hear from our international parents seeking to broaden their children's scope on education, history and world affairs. In so many instances parents worldwide often face the same issue: finding the best way to guide their children's past time in the most constructive manner. And many want to keep their children's minds out of the modern gutter of sex-laden and violent movies and video games. This hobby is one solution towards that end.

Kids Need Stamps -- Parents Need A Hand

We live in a busy, complicated world overflowing with bleak images, bad role models, violent games and mixed messages. It is a daily struggle for most parents to carve out quality time to spend with their children. In the rush to be relevant we can often fixate on a sport, event or project to interest your child only because your interested. Those are the potential pitfalls of blinding imposing our childhood pursuits on our children. There's less of a chance of this happening when dealing with stamps.

The beauty of stamp collecting is a lack of pressure. You don't have to be an expect. You don't have a large budget. You don't have scream about from the rooftops or shield it from the world. You can start small. You start big. Start with America. Go to Europe and check out Africa. There's no deadline, no contest....no pressure. Another charming facet of stamp collecting is the clever flexibilty it allows by being both an individual hobby and a joint project with parents.

If you believe, as I do, kids need stamps, then you must conclude, parents need a hand to prepare them for a smooth transition to the hobby. And that is where, "Kids Need Stamps" comes into play. I will mail out, free of charge, a small starter kit, to help you understand how to start learning and maybe even loving postage stamps of the world. The most amazing thing is you really don't have to know much to start, and you, as a parent, can actually learn with your child, and create a stronger bond of trust and communication.

The "learn-as-you-go" aspect is an unique characteristic of the hobby and usually surprises parents who are often stressed into believing because they are adults they are supposed to be experts on everything they introduce to their offspring. You need not worry since you have a friend in this exciting endeavor. A friend who is a lifelong collector (35 years) and a father of two children. "Kids Need Stamps" will walk you through every step of the hobby and help you build a collection, a knowledge base and a more fruitful relationship with your children.