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FATHERING DURING THE
IN-BETWEEN YEARS
Bookstore shelves are filled
with books on the toddler and the
teen years, but for some reason the
10- to 14-year-old seems to be
overlooked. This is a very critical
period for every child and I
thought it would make a good topic
for this month’s column for dads.
I had the opportunity to inter
view two dads who have children
of their own in this age group. Both
are employed as school principals
and work with these “in
betweeners” every day.
I asked them what they thought
were the most pressing issues with
this age group today. Their top
three were “the lack of respect for
others and the property of others.”
“the influence of the media on
youth, resulting in ‘adultified’
interests too early in their lives,”
and “economic pressures on die
family.”
The economic problems being
experienced by the family often
mean both parents have to work
outside the home and many times
this results in significantly less
up J
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supervision of the kids and more
freedom to explore freely. The
result is kids sometimes get
involved in “aduldfied” activities
during this free time and parents
have no idea what is happening.
What advice do these school
principals give to dads of “in
betweeners?”
Genuinely care about your child
and be there for them. Take part in
what they do, whether it is having a
game of catch or working in the
yard. Spend time with your kids.
Another piece of advice was to
follow through on monitoring the
young people—on where they are
going and what they are doing.
“Sometimes you need to call and
see if a party is being chaparoned
or an activity is being supervised,”
suggested one father.
Even the best kids don’t want
their parents to know everything
and they may fail to give you some
important details about what they
arc up to.
How about a dad who hasn’t
been terribly involved in his
child’s life up until now what
can he do? Again, the answer is to
take time to be with the children—
Stalls For Existini
no excuses such as “I’m too tired,”
“have too much work to do,” etc.
It is too easy to get wrapped up
in our jobs and forget what is really
important
Here’s a warning some lads
may not welcome your immediate
involvement You may have to be
satisfied with quiet support being
there for them without being
super-visible. Be attentive but not
overbearing. Look for those
opportundes when you can engage
them in discussion about their
lives.
And finally, I asked the fathers
about the role a divorced father
might play if he does not have cus
tody of his child. They assured me
that regardless of the hands-off
attitude that the child displays
when they see the father, they are
usually eager for that contact.
One principal said he often has
students tell him with great antici
pation that they are going to “see
their dad this weekend.” The
“tough guy” attitude is a defense
mechanism and deep down all
kids, just like the rest of us, want to
be loved and have attention paid to
them.
Another warning to divorced
parents is “don’t feel that every
visit has to be a trip to Disney
World.” Many noncustodial
parents shower their children with
freedom and gifts. Not only is this
inappropriate, it’s bad for the kids
and further severs the relationship
with the ex-spouse.
In conclusion, both of the well
connected dads that I talked to
pointed out that never before have
kids needed the guidance of a car
ing adult like they do in today’s
world. Far too many devices in
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society today are counterproduc
tive to raising responsible
children.
As one dad put it, “The more lib- today to listen to your young peo
eral society is, the more involved pie and enjoy them while you can.
Public Policy Impacts
Personal Finances
RUTGERS. N J.—Public poli
cy has a profound effect on the
financial well-being of U.S. citi
zens. Tax laws, in particular, cre
ate incentives and disincentives
for financial planning behavior
such as personal savings. A case
in point is tax policy related to
Individual Retirement Accounts
(IRAs).
In 1974, IRAs were established
as part of the Employee Retire
ment Income Security Act (ERI
SA) to provide a retirement sav
ings plan for workers not covered
by an employer pension. In 1981,
IRA eligibility was extended to all
working Americans as part of the
Economic Recovery Tax Act The
IRA contribution limit was also
raised from $1,500 to its current
limit of the lesser of 100% of
earned income or $2,000 annually.
The number of Federal Tax
returns claiming an IRA deduction
subsequently soared from 3.4 mil
lion in 1981 to 15.2 million by
1984.
In 1986, passage of the Tax
Reform Act decreased or elimi
nated the deductibility of IRA
contributions for higher-income
workers with access to a qualified
employer retirement plan.
Between 1986 and 1987, IRA con
tributions fell by 62%. The num
ber of Federal tax returns claiming
an IRA deduction fell from an all
time high of 16.2 million in 1985
to 5.8 million by 1989.
ADC
Place
the parent needs to be.”
So dads, don’t forget those “in
betweeners.” Take some time
A study conducted by the
National Bureau of Economic
Research found that the 1986 tax
act discouraged more savings than
expected. While high earners, as
predicted, stopped contributing to
IRAs in huge numbers, the contri
bution rate of lower-income work
ers who were unaffected by
1986 tax law changes also
dropped by 40 to 50 percent. Were
it not for the 1986 tax law, U.S.
personal retirement savings would
undoubtedly be much higher.
Recently, the pendulum has
begun to swing back toward creat
ing retirement savings incentives.
As a result of tax law changes
attached to the 1996 minimum
wage bill, married workers and
their non-working spouse may
contribute up to $4,000 annually,
a maximum of $2,000 a piece, to
an IRA beginning with the 1997
tax year. Previously, one-earner
households were limited to a total
annual IRA contribution of
$2,250.
Over 20 years, assuming an 8%
annual return, a couple could save
about $BO,OOO more by contribut
ing $4,000 annually, instead of
$2,250, to their IRAs. The amount
that can be deducted on Federal
tax returns, however, still depends
on household income and either
spouse’s participation in an
employer-sponsored retirement
plan.
is the
to Be
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