Eastern Oklahoma Catholic July/August 2010 : Page 11
m o n e y t i p p a r e n t i n g j o u r n e y Considering retirement? S o you’re considering retirement? If you are, this is a great time to be reading this article. There are some helpful pieces of informa-tion that can get you away from the desk and out on the beach. • Certain assets have age requirements to ac-cess them without penalties. For any age, find out the specifics of how the rules apply to you. • Be aware that pension benefits require an elec-tion of how to receive payments with survivor options. You should talk with your spouse about the options – think about how much your spouse will have to live on. Another big question concerns Social Secu-rity benefits. Social Security in depending on when you elect t benefits versus your normal re – which varies according to yo Another important thing to note age 62 and normal retirement benefits might be reduced if yo to keep working. Check with a advisor or the Social Security A istration to make sure you are inadvertently penalizing yourse appy retirement! You can email Chris Millio at christopher.g.millio@ampf.com esus to each other – to forgive, to love and o help each other attain salvation. Paul and Stephanie can best do that through heart-elt dialogue where there is a focus on each other’s special qualities and a focus on the eelings behind the hurtful words and upon how committed they are to living a cov-nantal marriage with each other until death. Open each dialogue with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for strength, wisdom and uidance in working on this issue together. To make your prayer more meaningful and heartfelt, include at least one reason why your pouse is so special today and thank God for llowing the two of you to be together. Tom and Jo Anne Fogle help prepare couples for marriage. Are sports good for my child? A: Q: I think sports are a wonderful team-builder. But I’ve noticed that some of the parents on my son’s soccer team are so focused on winning that they are scream-ing at 9-year-olds who make mistakes and calling the referees names. Is playing soccer doing more harm than good in these circumstances? How can I change things? Asking whether sports are good for a child is a bit like a backpacker asking if wild berries are safe to snack on – “It all depends.” If the trail is winding through wild straw-berries, then snacking is just fine. But eating handfuls of pokeweed berries is bound to lead to headaches, stomach pain and worse. Sports spectators out of control. The National Association of Sports Officials reports abusive parents in nearly every sport. For example, Roger Bratcher was attending his child’s T-ball game when he didn’t like a call. He ran out nd 6-year-olds; when a scuffle began with the officials, a d injuries to her face. As a consequence, Bratcher was Daviess County (Kentucky) parks and playgrounds o 2008. In Canada, in 2001, every single specta-moved from an arena when Pee-Wee hockey fans amed and threw objects at referees. Although your son’s mes aren’t at this level, they aren’t positive experiences; pping in to make a change is a good idea. romote a healthy culture. Are there parent meetings ou could attend to encourage healthy goals? Children houldn’t be in training to earn a college scholarship. eir focus should be on learning how to work with one ther toward a mutual goal, developing the sense of at it means to function as a group. Parents who are pted to scream when they view a mistake need to ember that they can’t judge whether that child is doing for his or her level of development. We make mistakes n we learn new skills; we try out things that don’t work. nts should try to catch every team member making plays and yell out your support. Be creative! It may be that a particular team culture is set in cement. Can you coach a team? Then you can set the climate from the beginning. Bringing the Gospel to the field doesn’t require preaching – you can set a good example by the way you coach. Is your child interested in a different sport? See if another team has parents with better attitudes. Keep working as an advocate for a healthy sports climate for your son, because the psychological and physi-cal benefits will bring him lifelong advantages. . Cathleen McGreal pope and martyr and St. Hippolytus, priest and martyr Aug. 13 | St. Maximillian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr Aug. 14 | Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Aug. 15 T. Gennara T. Gennara
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