Whatever the source, when children have their own money, they learn what it feels like to be responsible for choices - for example, whether to get a book or a puzzle, how much to spend today and how much to hold on to for another day.

Within the limits of her own safety and well-being, let your child determine what to buy and when. The choices your child makes are far less importanet in the long run than the fact that she is in control of them. Such a feeling of mastery can do wonders for the self-esteem of a young child just beginning the long journey toward independence.

The cost of living being what it is, children soon find that their desires often exceed their available funds. "That's life," our respective parents would say when we told them that we didn't have enough money to buy a coveted toy - which encouraged us to patiently save our nickels and dimes. Our parents sensed instinctively that unless we learned to accept delayed gratification, we were likely to have a tough time coping with roadblocks and frustrations. And they were right.

One of the earmarks of resilient children is that they are prepared to tolerate the intervals that separate wishes from their realization. Children should be encouragd to save money with a purpose in mind.

Children also learn to become more discriminating consumers when they have saved up their own money to buy something. Parents should remember, though, that a typical first-grader can be expected to plan ahead only a few weeks at a time, so don't expect him to save for months in order to buy a toy. Here are some guidelines for parents to use with their children:

• Start small and adjust your child's allowance upward instead of overwhelming him with too much responsibility too quickly.
• Be dependable. Children need to be able to expect allowance on a regular basis - for example, on the same day each week.
• Don't link household chores with the allowance. Children should see their role as helpful participants in routine family tasks and not as paid staff. There is nothing wrong, however, with giving a bonus for special jobs that fall outside the norm.
• Adjust the allowance to your own household budget, regardless of what other parents may be doing.
• Don't use allowance as a lever to extract desireable behavior. No one is paid for good citizenship.
• Don't be too quick to offer advances. Deficit spending is no healthier for a five-year-old than it is for an adult.

Above all, try to discourage your child from viewing money as currency for approval and love. When parents offer or withhold money depending on the child's conduct, they encourage him to mistake money for devotion, and its absence for rejection. Rewarding children with respect and praise is likely to be far more effective and healthy than doing so with cash.

Happy parenting!

• counter the risk of heart disease and hypertension
• improve confidence, self-esteem, and self-control
• help regulate weight control, tone bodies, and improve body composition
• ease tension

But many kids are trading instinct for inactivity. Studies show that two-thirds of 6- to 17-year-olds don't meet minimum standards for cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and strength, and 40 percent of 5- to 8-year-olds have at least one risk factor (such as obesity or inactivity) for later heart disease.
Only parents can turn those figures around, says Lyle Micheli, M.D., director of the division of sports medicine at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts. "You need to think of exercise as a preventative medicine."
"Several short bouts of physical activity - about 20 to 30 minutes every day - should be adequate to maintain health in most children," says Judith C. Young, Ph.D., the former executive director of NASPE.
But you can't expect your child to fulfill her daily requirements at school. While recess is a great time for younger kids to run around, it's often a prime occasion for sedentary socializing among older children. And unfortunately, many children do not have daily physical education classes.
Luckily, it doesn't require any special equipment or costly classes to create an activity lover. In fact, with very young children, the less structured active play is, the better.
"Too many parents push their children into activities they don't enjoy," notes mother and track star Florence Griffith Joyner, former chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in Washington, DC. "They get caught up in making their kids be the best and stress competition." This often backfires and puts the child at risk.
Here are a few tips from the experts to help your child enjoy sports and physical activity:

• Look for teams that emphasize participation
• Find a coach who understands that kids want to have fun
• Introduce noncompetitive sports and activities
• Look for leagues that match kids by ability, not age
• Offer positive reinforcement to your child
• Find activities that emphasize your child's current strengths

"The more fun activity is for your child, the more likely she'll make it a lifelong habit," says Jeanne Murrone, Ph.D., a psychologist at the Center for Mental Health of the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last but not least, set a good example by exercising regularly yourself. Better yet, exercise with your kids!
For more information on physical fitness and sports along with tips and activities as well as free publications, visit the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports website at: www.fitness.gov/council.

For more information about the Cherokee Child Advocacy Council, Parents HELP or our other programs, please visit our website at www.cherokeechildadvocates.org

Life has enough obstacles. The National Guard thinks money shouldn't be one of them.

Whether you are seeking additional income, funding for college, job training or another type of financial assistance, you can get it all for a commitment of just one weekend per month, and a two-week training period each year.

The Guard's got your back on the fiscal front.

Benefits Start Right Away

Upon signing with us, you may be eligible for an enlistment bonus. The amount varies, but $10,000 to $20,000 is common.

If you're a recent high school grad or an adult looking to change careers, we'll give you on-the-job paid training in the vocation of your choice. You'll not only earn while you learn, but you'll skip the minimum wage jobs and jump straight to the good ones in civilian life.

If you're a current or future college student, you'll appreciate programs like 100% Tuition Assistance and student loan repayment. You may also qualify for the Montgomery G.I. Bill and its supplement, the Kicker, which provide monthly stipends.

Security on the Horizon

As we grow older, certain things become important—home loans, life insurance, and medical and retirement benefits. As a Guard member or veteran, you'll be eligible for these and many other essential resources when you need them.

Life costs. Being in the Guard pays.

Contact your local recruiter to learn more. Call SSG Thomas Hindelang at 770-262-7773.

What Can Cooperative Extension Do for You?

Learning something new everyday should be a life-long pursuit and can be as easy as picking up and reading a magazine or newspaper each day. That is why the new slogan for Cooperative Extension in Georgia is в€œLearning for Life.в€ This might seem like a trivial slogan at first, but for me is a driving motivation for my job and an aspect of my job that makes me enjoy what I do. Everyday, our office gets numerous calls and questions on everything from ants to xeriscaping (pronounced zeer-i-skey-ping). For those who don't know, xeriscaping is landscaping that uses various methods for minimizing the need for water use. As we all know, water is a limited natural resource that we need to protect and conserve for future generations. Of course, with such a variety of calls and questions, I will be the first one to admit that I don't know everything and often have to do a little research or make a few calls to Extension specialists to answer someone's question. And in the process, it seems that I enjoy the benefits of learning something new everyday.