Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 August 1997 — Page 3

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23,198/

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By CONNIE

GAINES HAYES

Opinions life is too short to moss around

If there is one lesson I have learned over the yean that is life is too short to mess around. Today, my son is a freshman in high school and my daughter is on her way to college. Where did the time

go?

If there was anything I would do differently in regards to rearing my children, I can’t think of one thing. I chose my life and the path it was going to take. Now I find myself wondering what am I going to

do now?

I realize you may have heard me ask this question before, but I will continue to do so until I come up with the correct answer. However, I would suggest to any parent to do what you can for your children. One day believe me you will look up and they will have their own lives. Mind you I’m not depressed nor do I have any regrets. I do have a life, a fulfilling one at that. I am not trying to tell any parent what to do, I just want to share with some of those single parents who find themselves with little or no time for their children. You must make and take time for your children! If it’s just an hour at night listening to them read to you, do it I can remember lying in the bed exhausted while my little ones read to me. Even though I would dose off, I could tell when they were messing up. Those were the good old days. I can also recall having family conferences once a week so we could let off some stream about one another. You would be surprised at what you can leam from your children, when they feel comfortable enough to speak freely. It also allows them to feel really wanted and needed. Get involved with school activities. Visit your children’s school every week or as often as possible. Be aware of your childrens whereabouts when they are not at home. Know where they are at all times. If you don’t have time, make it We can always seem to make time to get that party on, that date on or go to that hairdresser/barber shop. Make time. If you find yourselves short of quality time during the week, make Saturday, chore day a time to spend with children. There’s nothing better than just cleaning together! And instead of going out on Saturday night invite your date or friends (if you must) and make it a family affair. Or better yet, if you have a date, take the children along as well. And Sunday spend time after church with them, better yet go to church with them. The point is - be creative. I firmly believe, where there is a will there is a

way.

Time is of the essence. Time is what we don’t have a lot of, but even I, Miss procrastinator did find the time to spend with my children. It will be worth it in the long run and your children will appreciate it, it will be evident in their actions. One other tip that has served me well. When your children begins to act out of the ordinary or norm, check yourself and ask “what am I not doing.’’Children need attention and will act out if they don’t receive it Finally just use common sense. You know when you are not doing the things that are not good for your children. You know when you are not spending time with them. You know when you are putting material things ahead of them. You know when you are only trying to appease them. You know you must spend time with them, maybe it’s not the amount of time, but the time itself. Parents you know what you must do, do it!

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LETTERS

UPS' fight is America's fight You can’t feed a full-time family on a part-time job. In fact, you can hardly do it with a couple of part-time jobs. That’s why the American public supports United Parcel Service. American workers need a fair wage and a fair chance for fulltime work. At UPS, the predominantly part-time work force is getting neither. While UPS made more than a billion dollars in profits last year, its arguments against giving its employees a decent deal are bankrupt. For 15 years its part-time workers have had their wages frozen and they’ve been frozen out of the chance to have full-time work, pay and benefits. The scheduling adjustment can be made to allow tens of thousands of UPS part-timers - workers who want full-time productive full-time work schedules. Plenty of UPS workers are already working back-to-back part-time shifts, at half the hourly rate of the full-time workers. A Cornell University study of UPS found that 90 percent of UPS part-timers want full-time employment. The workload is there for them, they’re ready to take it and the wages it will bring them, but UPS won’t let them have it. A number of bad trends have been hitting American workers over the past couple of decades and UPS is a case study in what has been going wrong. Overall the income gap has been widening between workers doing well or at least getting by and more and more workers, full-time work force at UPS hasn’t quite kept up with the cost ofliving over the past 15 years, but the UPS part-time wage has been ravaged by inflation and the number of workers earning it has increased dramatically. The UPS part-timers comprise 60 percent of its workforce, up from 42 percent in 1986. Is this the kind of economy we want to leave for our children, one that is built on part-time, low-wage dead-end jobs? I don’t think so. UPS’ fight is our fight. Let’s lend them a hand. Chuck Deppert, president Indiana AFT-CIO Religious freedom PresidentBillGinton.citingthat Americans worship deeply and in very great numbers” last week issued guidelines for freedom of religious expression in the federal workplace. The guidelines are to clarify three objectives. First to clarify that federal employees may engage in personal religious expression to the greatest extent possible, consistent with workplace efficiency and the requirements of the law. Second, to clarify that federal employers may not discriminate in employment on the basis of religion. Lastly to clarify that an agency must reasonably accommodate employees’ religious practices. Some observers of this effort expressed concern of the possiblity of some employees being offended by the displaying of religious symbols by another employee. Another concern expressed was that these new religious guidelines may send the wrong message to those whose religion require them to proselytize their faith. However, according to a press release from the White House the guidelines are “based upon neutrality and fairness - federal employers shall treat employees with the same respect and consideration, regardless of their religious beliefs.” Iman Mikal Saahir

The Critics Love

'Steppin’ Out

by Smooth Jazz Artists

RODNEY STEPP & BSB

on BSM Records • Indy “The Rodney Stepp & BSB project is ‘Hip,’ it’s ’Today’ -- it’s some of the smoothest ’nite breeze’ jazz to come down the pike in a long time ...” Chuck Workman -- WTPI Jazz Radio and Nuvo News Weekly “Buy this! Keep it in the car for when you’re crusin’ at night, bathed in the soft glow of the dashboard lights ...” Lynn Dean Ford -• Indianapolis Star and News

CDs available at! * Sam Goody (Ciret*Ctntra) • Borders <K«yuoi»«at th«cnminn) • Rick’s Records (2is6e.s4thsu • IRC Music (Casii«u>n> • Blockbuster Music OBth4 Commarelal Orlv* and Iroadripplt) • IRC Records kmi uth sumo

C 9 M U U N I C 1 T I 0 M I

Rodney Stepp & BSB will perform with George Howard at the Walker Theatre on Friday, August 29 > 7:30 p.m. and 11OO p.m. Need more information? Call Circle City Communications at (317) 927-0210