| OCR Text |
Show The Emery County Review, Tuesday, July 1, 2008 The FAMILY PAGE Horoscope Focus On The Family Crossword B3 Figuratively Speaking FOCUS ON THE FAMILY Raising Kids is the Greatest Challenge Imaginable Dr. James Dobson Q A What has been your greatest challenge as a father? What did you learn from it? Raising healthy, well-educated, self-disciplined children who love God and their fellow-human beings is, I believe, the most challenging responsibility in living. Not even rocket science can approach it for complexity and unpredictability. And of course, the job is even more difficult today when the culture undermines and contradicts everything parents are trying to accomplish at home. Fortunately, we are not asked to do everything perfectly as moms and dads. Our kids usually manage to survive our mistakes and failures and turn out better than we have any right to boast about. I certainly made my share of mistakes as a father. Like millions of other men of my era, I often had a tough time balancing the pressures of my profession with the needs of my family. Not that I ever became an “absentee father,” but I did struggle at times to be as accessible as I should have. As it happened, my first book, “Dare to Discipline,” was published the same week that our second child, Ryan, arrived. A baby always turns a house upside down, but the reaction to my book added to the turmoil. I was a fulltime professor at a medical school, and yet I was inundated by thousands of letters and requests of every sort. There was no mechanism to handle this sudden notoriety. I remember flying to New York one Thursday night and did 17 television shows and press interviews in three days, returning to work on Monday morning. It was nothing short of overwhelming. My father, who always served as a beacon in dark times, saw what was happening to me and wrote a letter that was to change my life. First, he congratulated me on my success, but then warned that all the success in the world would not compensate if I failed at home. He reminded me that the spiritual welfare of our children was my most important responsibility, and that the only way to build their faith was to model it personally and then to stay on my knees in prayer. That couldn’t be done if I invested every resource in my profession. I have never forgotten that profound advice. It eventually led to my resignation from the university and to the development of a ministry that permitted me to stay at home. I quit accepting speaking requests, started a radio program that required no travel, and refused to do “book tours” or accept other lengthy responsibilities that would take me away from my family. As I look back on that era today, I am so grateful that I chose to preserve my relationship with my children. The closeness that we enjoy today can be traced to that decision to make time for FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING HOROSCOPE Wanda Perry Copley News Service ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Take steps to strengthen your family ties. Turn to elders or parents for guidance, insight or practical advice. Plan a large, happy and joyful gathering. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You will be exposed to some wild or unusual ideas and concepts. Keep an open mind and learn to identify, discern and accept the truth. GEMINI (May 21 - June 21): Do not panic or make premature decisions in financial matters. Pay attention, take a wait-andsee approach and act when the solution is made clear. CANCER (June 22 - July 22): Self-analysis or a look inside of your heart uncovers sensitive information. Settle into a reflective mood and discover something new about yourself. LEO (July 23 - Aug. 22): Do not allow outside influences to totally color your world. Break away from the rat race and put business or work-related decisions on hold. VIRGO (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22): Make an honest effort to become more outgoing this week. Get involved with a variety of clubs or groups, and network your skills and talents. LIBRA (Sept. 23 - Oct. 23): Circumstances outside of your control are likely to affect your career. Strive to remain optimistic and willing to make necessary changes. SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21): Put an end to mediocrity and feelings of boredom. Welcome an influx of new ideas delivered by teachers or colleagues from different walks of life. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21): Act now to improve your financial status. All you will need is a reduced budget, disciplined spending and a deeply rooted drive for prosperity. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19): Relationships are put to the test this week. Do your best to forgive a partner for a prior transgression and start over with a clean emotional slate. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18): Take care of important details and leave as little as possible to chance. Be willing to go the extra mile and spare no expense to deliver on a promise. PISCES (Feb. 19 - March 20): Social or cultural activities like parties or museums are highlighted this week. Make room in your schedule to attend a variety of different functions. If your birthday is this week, seek out new and innovative techniques to help you succeed during the coming year. Utilize your skills and accept nothing less than excellence. Do not allow anything to come between you and your dreams. Friends or associates may have powerful and plausible suggestions, but only you can decide what works for you. Always remember, your time is very valuable, and be sure to spend it wisely. Also born this week: Liv Tyler, Lindsay Lohan, Franz Kafka, Mitch Miller, Shane Filan and 50 Cent. (For more information go to WandaPerry. com) them when they needed me most. I could easily have made the greatest mistake of my life at that time. I’m sure many fathers will read this response and find themselves today where I was back then. If you are one of them, I urge you to give priority to your family. Those kids around your feet will be grown and gone before you know it. Don’t let the opportunity of these days slip away from you. No professional accomplishment or success is worth that cost. When you stand where I am today, the relationship with those you love will outweigh every other good thing in your life. (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 41: Percentage of employ- ers who state that people who dress better or more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in their organization, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey. 55: Percentage of financial service institutions that state that people who dress more professionally tend to be promoted more often than others in the organization. 37: Percentage of IT em- ployers who agree. Source: CareerBuilder.com. 37: Percentage of baby boomers who said they would be very satisfied with their parents’ lifestyles, according to findings of the 2008 Generational Differences in Retirement Planning: Adult Children of Retired Parents, a study conducted by Mathew Greenwald and Associates. 81: Percentage of retired parents who attributed their retirement success to the avoidance of credit card debt. 86: Percentage who also cited the creation of an emergency fund. Source: NAVA. 46: Percentage of Ameri- cans who are afraid they’re being worked over as their cars are worked on -- they lack confidence that their mechanic is charging them a fair price, according to a survey commissioned by DriverSide and conducted by Kelton Research. 46: Percentage of Ameri- cans who say that keeping up with their cars’ regularly scheduled maintenance is a hassle and an inconvenience. Source: DriverSide. 10: Estimated percentage of companies that have highly effective employee engagement programs in place that improve morale, reduce turnover and boost corporate performance, according to a member-driven research study conducted by Best Practices LLC’s Global Benchmarking Council. 50: Percentage of high- performing companies that track both employee satisfaction and engagement. Source: Best Practices LLC. 17: Percentage of U.S. office-chair users who feel their office chair is very comfortable, according to a study done for Allsteel Inc. 57: Percentage of users who would love to replace their current chair. 47: Percentage of respon- dent office-chair users who agree they would be more productive if their chair were more comfortable. Source: Allsteel Inc. 62: Percentage of medicines purchased online that are fake or substandard (includes medicines indicated to treat serious conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, neurological disorders and mental health conditions), according to a research report by the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines. 94: Percentage of Web sites selling medecines that do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist. Source: European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM). 87: Percentage of fathers who agree that being a good father is an important part of who they are, according to a survey by Sullivan Higdon and Sink. 63: Percentage who believe they spend more time with their kids than their own fathers did with them. Source: Sullivan Higdon and Sink. 53: When Americans are asked what steps should be taken to reduce gas prices, percentage who are in favor of imposing price controls, according to a Gallup Poll. 58: Percentage who support releasing supplies from the federal government’s strategic petroleum reserve. 57: Percentage who sup- port drilling in U.S. coastal and wilderness areas now off-limits. Source: Gallup. 66: Among affluent profes- sionals (lawyers, accountants, doctors and dentists), percentage of men who have financial plans, according to data from a study by the Spectrem Group. 27: Percentage of women in this group who have plans. Source: Spectrem Group. Idle Thought “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” -- James Thurber (1894-1961) Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. See Page B8 for Puzzle Answers. |
