| OCR Text |
Show The Emery County Review, Tuesday, May 6, 2008 The FAMILY PAGE Horoscope Focus On The Family Crossword B3 Figuratively Speaking FOCUS ON THE FAMILY A Move can be a Great Experience for Families Dr. James Dobson Q We’re going to move to another state in a few months. I know it’s going to be tough for Chuck and Marcie, who have so many little friends at school. How can I get them ready for life in a new city? Moving to a new school or a new town can be an unpleasant experience for children, but there are some ways to make it easier for them. Preparation and forethought are the keys. Educator Cheri Fuller recommends those who are about to relocate to call a family meeting to talk about what’s going to happen. Begin to lay plans together. It’s sad to say goodbye to good friends and it’s hard to make new ones. Try establishing pen pals for your children in the new school long before the move is to occur. Relationships can blossom through the mail so that the kids are not entirely unknown in the new location. It’s also helpful to create curiosity about the new city or neighborhood you’re moving to. I’d encourage you to take full advan- A tage of the Internet since every Chamber of Commerce has a website. Representatives of these organizations will welcome your request for additional information. When your children begin to understand the adventure of moving, they may develop a more positive attitude toward leaving. A bit of preparation and a healthy dose of communication can help clear the way for a smoother journey to a new home. Why can’t parents get children to obey just by explaining what they want them to do? Why is it so often necessary to punish or raise our voices to get them to cooperate? Why can’t they just accept a few reasonable rules and avoid all that conflict? It just doesn’t add up to me. After working with children for years, I’m convinced that their chal- Q A lenging behavior is motivated in part by the desire for power that lies deep within the human spirit. From a very early age, they just don’t want anyone telling them what to do. They are also great admirers of strength and courage. Maybe this is why mythical characters like Superman, Robin Hood and Wonder Woman have been so prominent in the folklore of children. Perhaps it is also why kids brag that “My dad can beat up your dad!”? (One child said in reply, “That’s nothing, my mom can beat up my dad, too!”) It is a fact that most boys, and some girls, care about the issue of “who’s toughest.” Whenever a youngster moves into a new neighborhood or a new school district, he often has to fight, either verbally or physically, to establish himself on the hierarchy of strength. There is usually a “top dog” in a group of children who bosses everyone else around. There is also a little defeated pup at the bottom of the heap who takes the brunt of everyone’s abuse. And each child between those extremes usually knows where he or she ranks in relation to the others. I believe this admiration for power also FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING HOROSCOPE Week of May 5 to 11 Wanda Perry Copley News Service ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Break free this week from the dull, ordinary or routine. Be willing to spend a little extra in order to transcend fiscal boundaries. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Stop hiding in the shadows, step up and play a major role. Develop the courage you need to stand up for yourself. GEMINI (May 21 - June 21): Do not let a lack of knowledge or experience hold you back from fulfilling your goals and dreams. Initiate action and learn as you go. CANCER (June 22 - July 22): Express yourself as an individual while operating within a group or club structure. Friends and associates are there to offer support. LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Achieving your professional goals means doing whatever it takes to succeed. Adopt a disciplined and well-planned path to your desired destination. VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): You have reached an important mental checkpoint in your climb up the ladder to success. Stop, review your progress and weigh your options. LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 23): A slow and steady pace wins the financial race to security every time. Decline an offer to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21): Relationships are fragile and fraught with tension this week. Consider your partner’s feelings when making a decision that affects both of you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Rid yourself of negative habits that could hurt you in the long run. Throw procrastination, incompetence and disorganization out the window. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): A social acquaintance has a lot to offer or teach. Listen with your heart and enjoy being in the company of an enlightened individual. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Make a conscious effort to maintain control and manage your emotions under pressure. Let go of needless worry and embrace the truth. PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): Learn how to best respond to your peers or siblings without losing your temper. Show them that you can be a good sport. If your birthday is this week, this year will mark a new beginning in your life. Point your toes in the desired direction and begin your long trek or journey to success, recognition and goal achievement. At first it may be necessary to take two steps backward in order to move one step forward, but do not be discouraged. You have a strong will and sense of purpose working in your favor. Also born this week: Chris Brown, George Clooney, Tim Russert, Harry S. Truman, Mike Wallace, Louis Farrakhan and David O. Selznick. (For more information go to WandaPerry. com) makes children want to know how tough their leaders are. They will occasionally disobey adults for the precise purpose of testing their determination and courage. Thus, whether you are a parent or grandparent or Boy Scout leader or bus driver or Brownie leader or a school teacher, I can guarantee that sooner or later, one of the children under your authority will clench his little fist and challenge your leadership. He will convey this message by his disobedient manner: “I don’t think you are tough enough to make me do what you say.” The way you handle that confrontation is being watched closely by every child in the group. Your reaction will determine how soon another occurs and with what intensity it is driven. (Dr. Dobson is founder and chairman of the board of the nonprofit organization Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995(www.family.org). Questions and answers are excerpted from “Solid Answers” and “Bringing Up Boys,” both published by Tyndale House. Copyright 2008 James Dobson Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.) John MacIntyre 88: Percentage of the na- tion’s top divorce attorneys who say they have seen an increase in the number of cases using electronic data as evidence during the past five years, according to a survey of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. 82: Percentage who cited email as the main source and most commonly used form of technological evidence. 79: Percentage who re- ported an increase in the frequency of Internet browser histories being used as evidence in divorce cases during the past five years. Source: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. 62: Percentage of execu- tives in the U.S. and Canada who feel that they would benefit from an international etiquette course (that is when and whether one should shake hands, give a kiss on the cheek or bow when greeting an overseas colleague), according to the results of a survey by Of- ficeTeam. Source: Robert Half International. the 18 to 24 age bracket who are very happy according to the survey. 34: Percentage of Ameri- 47: Percentage of people can executives who say they are at least somewhat concerned about their CEO’s compensation, according to a survey conducted by Korn/Ferry International. 21: Percentage who said the same in 2007. 42: Percentage who said their CEO compensation matched their organization’s performance. Source: Korn/Ferry International. 35: Percentage of all Americans who are very happy, according to a Harris Poll. 45: Percentage of people who describe themselves as “very religious” who consider themselves as very happy. 28: Percentage of people who describe themselves as “not religious” who consider themselves as very happy. 29: Percentage of people in age 65 and older who are very happy. Source: Harris Interactive. 34: Percentage of the U.S. population that is considered to be clinically obese (a body mass index greater than 30), according to IBISWorld. $75 billion: Annual estimated direct health costs attributable to obesity. $44 billion to $55 billion: Estimated annual expenditure on weight-loss products and services, including medical procedures and pharmaceuticals. 6 to 12: Percentage of that spending garnered by weight-loss centers. Source: IBISWorld. 1914: Year that Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 81: Percentage of women age 40 to 44 who are mothers. 90: In 1976, percentage of women in that age group who were mothers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 77: Percentage of U.S. em- ployees who say they know someone who has taken Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, according to a survey conducted by Tell It Now and ComPsych Corp. 6: Percentage of U.S. employees who say a colleague’s reason for FMLA leave was “questionable.” Source: ComPsych Corp. 60: Percentage of Americans who oppose the federal government taking steps to help prevent major Wall Street investment companies from failing, according to a Gallup Poll. 56: Percentage of Ameri- cans who support having the federal government take steps to help prevent people from losing their homes because they can’t pay their mortgages. Source: Gallup. Idle Thought “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” -- Mark Twain Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. See Page B8 for Puzzle Answers. |
