EASTERN OREGON MARKETPLACE
Tuesday, May, 8, 2018
5 Tips for Summer
Road Trips
What Are Your Parenting Goals?
from the American Counseling Association
B
eing a parent is certainly
an experience in extremes.
There are times when you
can be so fulfilled and
rewarded for what you’ve accom-
plished as a parent, yet plenty of
other times when the best you can
feel is stressed and frustrated.
One way is to bring a bit of the
business world into your work as
a parent. A good businessman al-
most always starts with a business
plan, setting goals and outlining
how those goals will be reached.
You can do a very similar thing
to help bring more consistency to
your parenting, rather than simply
reacting to situations or disciplin-
ing haphazardly.
For many people, summer means
setting out on a road trip in search
of bucket-list-worthy excitement or
a relaxing vacation.
Whether you’re going down the
road to visit family or across the
country to see a national monu-
ment, it is important to prepare
your vehicle – and its tires – before
you pull out of the driveway.
These five safety tips can help get
your family ready to hit the road
this summer:
Check Your Tread – A tire’s tread
depth can determine a vehicle’s safe
stopping distance. You can check
your tread depth by sticking a pen-
ny upside-down in a tread groove.
If you can see President Lincoln’s
head, it’s time to replace your tires.
Ensure Proper Tire Pressure –
Low tire pressure can lead to poor
handling and gas mileage, exces-
sive wear and overloading. Drivers
should check their tire pressure
at least once a month, and espe-
cially before any long trip. Use a
dependable air gauge or stop by an
automotive store like Discount Tire
or America’s Tire to take advantage
of complimentary air checks.
Rotate Often – Tires should be
rotated at least every 6,000 miles or
earlier if irregular or uneven wear
develops.
Inspect Your Trunk – Some new
vehicles no longer come equipped
with a spare tire, opting instead
for tire inflation kits that feature
puncture coating sealants and air
compressors, or even run-flat tires.
Check your trunk to see what your
vehicle contains and make sure
you have a roadside assistance plan
should the need arise.
Don’t Overload – The combi-
nation of heat and overloading a
vehicle, which can be common
during summer travel, is one of
the most dangerous conditions for
Page 3A
Counseling Corner
Nearly every parent will admit to
sometimes feeling over their heads
in a job that no one has trained
them for, but most of us still find
that being a parent is wonderful
and challenging. And, when one
approaches parenting in a positive
way, it’s possible to increase the
wonderful while helping to reduce
the stress of the job.
(Family Features)
East Oregonian
Start by writing down reasonable,
positive goals in regard to what
you’d like to achieve with your
child. They can be as broad as
When it comes to summer driving wanting to support your child by
safety, it can be imperative to check expressing your love and accep-
your tires early and often. Knowing tance. They might include not
the condition of your tires can keep wanting to withdraw affection
your family safe and your vehicle
simply because you’re angry with
in quality condition.
your child.
a vehicle’s tires as overloaded tires
can overheat and possibly fail.
Your next step is to figure out how
to reach those goals. If it’s a broad
goal, add specifics to it. If your
goal is to be consistent in regard
to discipline, think about how you
and your child can work together
to set limits and boundaries, and
develop reasonable penalties when
those limits are ignored. If a goal is
to more consistently demonstrate
your love and support, consider
ways to make that abstract goal a
real world happening.
The last step is to put your goals
into practice. Realize that it may
take time and repeated tries to
achieve a number of these. You
may find some are unattainable
and need to be revised. Parenting
is always going to be a dynamic
experience that requires time,
patience and practice.
Allow your child, and yourself, to
make mistakes as you try to work
toward your goals. And reward
both your child and yourself when
you succeed. When a businessman
has a solid business plan, success is
what finally comes. That’s what you
want to shoot for in setting your
goals as a parent.
Counseling Corner” is provided by
the American Counseling Associ-
ation. Comments and questions to
ACAcorner@counseling.org or visit
the ACA website at www.counsel-
ing.org.
“It is important that drivers know
how to check and maintain their
tires and recognize the warning
signs of when to replace them, es-
pecially during the hotter months,”
said Tom Williams, senior vice
president at Discount Tire. “Keep-
ing customers and their families
safe is our No. 1 priority each
summer.”
To learn more about tire safety
before a summer road trip, or to
schedule an appointment for a tire
safety check, visit tires.com.
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