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Show B2 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 The FAMILY PAGE Horoscope Focus On The Family Crossword Figuratively Speaking Focus on the Family Set Boundaries Before Leaving for Family Holidays Dr. James Dobson Q How can parents preserve their own peace of mind and maintain harmony during car trips and family holidays? Sometimes it helps to redefine the boundaries at the beginning of your time together. Let the children know exactly what you’re doing and what’s expected of them. If they still misbehave, respond with good, loving discipline right from the start. No parent wants to be an ogre on vacation, but it helps to show a little firmness at the outset that can make the rest of the time together fun for the entire family. We have always laughed a lot in our family, sometimes at each other. Is that good or bad? It is healthy to be able to laugh together in a family. We ought to be able to tease and joke with each other without having to worry about getting an angry overreaction in response. But when the laughter is always at the expense of the most vulnerable member of the family, it can be destructive. A Q A Even innocent humor is painful when it’s the same child who is the object of ridicule. Unfortunately, that’s the way it often happens. When one youngster has an embarrassing characteristic, such as bed-wetting, or thumb sucking, or stuttering, the other members of the family should be encouraged to tread very softly on the exposed nerves thereabouts. And a child should never be ridiculed for his or her size, whether he’s a small boy or a large girl. This is the guiding principle: It’s wise not to tease a child about the features that he or she is also defending outside the home. If that youngster is hearing about some obvious flaw all day long, he or she certainly doesn’t need more flak from the family. And when that child asks for a joke to end, the request should be honored. Horoscopes by Holiday Mars and Saturn square off this week, which puts the kibosh on business arrangements made on Easy Street. There is no such thing as free money these days, and in the long run that’s a positive thing. When we’re forced to be resourceful, we not only come up with inventive solutions and creative ways to advance, but we connect with a sense of purposefulness that we otherwise might never have found. Work is soul fortifying. ARIES (March 21-April 19). People have been telling you “no” since you were learning to crawl. You’ve heard it so many times now that it no longer bothers you. It’s a necessary function in getting to “yes.” And the “yes!” you hear on Thursday is glorious indeed. Sagittarius and Pisces are mischievous contributors to your merrymaking. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You are so powerful this week that you can reverse an insidious cycle of negativity that has gone on long enough. Make it your sole intent to improve the problem. Small steps will get you there. Find ways to feel just a tiny bit better about things than you did before. See what’s good and then look for what’s great. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You have used your influence for good. Through your persistent uplifting attention, the beings around you are growing and thriving. Q A And the little girl said, “Oh, don’t worry, Mom, I didn’t use the new fly swatter. I used the old one.” Well, when kids try their hardest and they get it all wrong in spite of themselves, what’s a parent to do? What mothers and fathers often do is prevent their children from carrying any responsibility that could result in a mess or a mistake. It’s just easier to do everything for them than to clean up afterwards. But, I urge parents not to fall into that trap. Your child needs her mistakes. That’s how she learns. So, go along with the game every now and then -- even if the tea you drink tastes a little strange. (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.) Figuratively Speaking John MacIntyre Week of December 14 Holiday Mathis Being the butt of everyone’s ridicule is a formula for lifelong resentment, and there’s just nothing funny about that happening. My children love to do things for themselves, but they make such messes that it’s easier for me to do things for them. I just don’t have the patience to see them fumble with stuff. Do you think I’m wrong to step in and do things for them? I think you are wrong, even though I understand how you feel. I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her darling daughter wanted so much to be a good nurse. She fluffed the pillows and brought a magazine to read. And then she even showed up with a surprise cup of tea. “Why, you’re such a sweetheart,” the mother said as she drank the tea. “I didn’t know you even knew how to make tea.” “Oh, yes,” the little girl replied. “I learned by watching you. I put the tealeaves in the pan and then I put in the water, and I boiled it and then I strained it into a cup. But I couldn’t find a strainer, so I used the fly swatter instead.” “You what?” the mother screamed. Oh, joy! Do be sure to focus some of that goodwill on yourself without seeing your acts of rejuvenation as some kind of indulgence. Recharge without rules Thursday and Friday. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You get stronger this week by eliminating confusion. You think you must choose between a few different options, and you’re not sure which to take. The reality is that none of those options may be right for you. Watch and wait. When you’re sure, that’s when you should move and not a moment before. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You’re being practical because you know it will inspire trust in the people you need and want to trust you. Privately you might think you can get away with taking more risks, but you’re willing to err on the side of caution if it makes a loved one happy, which it most certainly will. On Saturday you can let down your hair a bit. THIS WEEK’S BIRTHDAYS: Now through January you’ll be juggling a lot of different activities and making progress with a few. Then in February one giant endeavor takes your focus and you make quick headway. You could even find yourself with a new title in March. Creative financing helps you overcome blocks and do so in a way that’s more fun than if you had followed your original plan. A relationship Continued on Page B4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Ranks of Milford Sound, New Zealand; Queenstown, New Zealand; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Cayo Largo, Cuba; and Rhodes, Greece, on the list of top 2008 Travelers’ Choice World Destinations, according to TripAdvisor’s Destinations Awards. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: Ranks of Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Big Sur, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif.; Poipu, Hawaii; and Sedona, Ariz., on the list of 2008 Travelers’ Choice U.S. Destinations. Source: TripAdvisor. 2.3: Percentage of holiday shoppers who don’t begin their holiday shopping until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to data from Mediamark Research and Intelligence. 1.3: Percentage who shop after Christmas. Source: Mediamark Research. 59: Percentage of consumers who made a holiday budget -- an increase of more than 17 percent from the year before, according to a Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll. 45: Of the 39 percent of consumers who made a budget last year, percentage who stayed on it. 44: Percentage who went over-budget last year. 3: Percentage who went way over-budget. Source: Consumer Reports. 73: Percentage of holiday ers who would remain loyal to a brand during a recession if it supports a good cause, according to findings from this year’s global study of consumer attitudes released by Edelman. 42: Percentage who say that if two products are of the same quality and price, commitment to a social purpose trumps factors like design, innovation and brand loyalty when choosing one brand over the other. Source: Edelman. shoppers who said that if they see something that would be “just perfect” for themselves, they’ll probably buy that too, according to a survey by Taubman Centers. Source: Taubman Centers Inc. 35: Percentage of re- 30: Percentage of in-home that elaborate decorations would be inappropriate in a time when the country faces serious national and international concerns (job-loss, economy crisis, war, etc). Source: HCD Research Inc. online activity that takes place while simultaneously watching TV, according to The Nielsen Company’s new TV/Internet Convergence Panel. Source: Nielsen Media Research. 68: Percentage of consum- spondents who said their perceptions of Christmas decorations have changed in comparison to last year, according to a study conducted by HCD Research. 37: Percentage who felt 51: Percentage of tweens and teens who expect to receive fewer holiday gifts this year than last, according to a survey conducted by youth opinion research company Node Research. $794: Average retail price of the average 10-year-olds’ wish list. Source: Node Research. 81: Percentage of business- es that will be conducting some type of holiday celebration this year, according to the findings of Battalia Winston’s annual survey on corporate holiday celebrations. 37: Percentage of com- panies that say that their holiday party has been impacted by the economy (either canceled or scaled back). 19: Percentage that were affected last year. Source: Battalia Winston. 70: Whether taking a break from holiday shopping or a brief respite from visiting relatives, percentage of Americans who say their favorite way to relax this season is watching a holiday movie. 14.3: Percentage who say it’s taking a nap. Source: Redbox. Idle Thought “A city that outdistances man’s walking powers is a trap for man.” -- Arnold Toynbee, historian (18891975) Puzzle answers on Page B4. (Copyright 2008 John MacIntyre Inc. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.) |
