# Presentation: 365503

## Work-Life Advisor

**Vol. 16, No. 9, June 2008**

**U.S. Department of**
**Transportation**
**1200 New Jersey Ave. SE**
**Room W56-402**
**Washington, DC  20590**
**800/525-2878 (ext. 1)**
**202/366-6389**

- BALANCE

**June 2008 Events**
**June 11****th**
**10:00 AM – 2:00 PM**
**FAA Orville Wright Bldg **
**Bessie Coleman Room**
***Living Well Benefits Everyone***
*** ******&***
***WorkLifeMatters@faa***
**June 17****th**** **
**12:30 – 1:30 PM**
**Conference Center**
**Conference Room 2**
***Planning for a New Retirement***
**June 24****th**
**12:30 – 1:30 PM**
**Room W58-124**
***Young Children’s Social & Emotional Development***
***The U.S. Department of Transportation is committed to providing equal access to this workshop for all participants.  If you need alternative formats or services, please call 202.366.6389 or  contact via email Judy.Ashley@dot.gov with your request by close of business 5 days previous to the event. ***
*** ******Thank you.***
**To Register for  **
**a June Event **
**Please Send an E-mail to:**
- _[Judy.Ashley@dot.gov](mailto:Judy.Ashley@dot.gov)_

**Seminar Questions**
**or**
**Suggestions for Topics?**
- Please call 202-366-6389

**CAREER**

**HOME**

**Curiosity and Babies **
- Babies are born learners, with a natural curiosity to figure out how the world works.  Curiosity is the desire to learn.  It is an eagerness to explore, discover and figure things out.  The more curious a child is, the more he learns.  Nurturing your child’s curiosity is one of the most important ways you can help her become a lifelong learner. Research shows that it is a child’s internal desire to learn (their curiosity), not external pressure, that motivates him to seek out new experiences and leads to greater success in school over the long term.
- Curiosity is something all babies are born with.  They come into the world with a drive to understand how the world works:
- A newborn follows sounds, faces and interesting objects with her eyes.
- An 8-month-old shakes a rattle and then puts it into his mouth to see what this object can do.
- A toddler takes a stool to reach the countertop where the phone is—a “toy” she loves to play with.
- Below you will find a series of tips for ways you can nurture your child’s curiosity.
**Model interest in the world around you.  **Take a walk outside and wonder aloud about the trees, the sky, the stars. Also let your child see you pursuing interests of your own.
**Follow your child’s lead.** Encourage natural interests. Children learn so much more through activities that capture their attention and imaginations. If he likes music, play it for him often, make and play instruments together, dance together. If bugs are her thing, give her a shovel and a net.
**Answer questions simply and clearly and according to your child’s development.  **You will answer a question about where babies come from much differently if your child is three or thirteen.  No matter the child’s age, always ask them first what their
- thoughts are before answering.  A five-year old asked her mother, "Where did
*Cont’d on page 2, column 2*

**Online Caregiver Training Resources**
- For many family caregivers, life becomes deferred as the caregiver puts off career advancement and leisure activities.   Both shortage of time and money can cause undue stress and some experiences leave the caregiver bewildered to know what to do.
- Being a family caregiver is a responsibility that takes a great deal of time, energy and positive coping techniques.  If you are a family caregiver that feels like you could use a little help in developing your practical caregiving  skills and strategies to deal with the many challenges, the following resources are available at your fingertips.
- _[www.caregiving101.org](http://www.caregiving101.org/)_
- Course offered by the Center for Caregiving Training
- www.strengthforcaring.com
- Resources and information from The Caregiver Initiative created by the Johnson & Johnson company.
- www.aarp.org/learn/tech/family_care/
- AARP seminars on aspects family caregiving including assisted living facilities and caring for aging parents.
- www.matherlifeways.com
- This Chicago company offers a six-week course called “Powerful Tools for Caregivers Online.”
- www.thearc.org
- The Arc offers a family resource guide that focuses on planning for the future needs of children with cognitive, intellectual or developmental disabilities.
- DOT’s Work-Life office also offers a variety of supportive seminars on a range of elder care issues.   Contact the Work-Life office at 202-366-6389 for additional details or to let us know what topics will be most helpful to you.

## DOT WORK-LIFE WELLNESS PROGRAM

**DOT WORK-LIFE WELLNESS PROGRAM**
- Provides information on work/life issues such as parenting, childcare, eldercare, telework,
- diversity, personal and professional development, and health and wellness.
- Resources on these topics can be obtained by calling
- 202/366-6389 or 800/525-2878 (ext. 1)

**DOT WORK-LIFE WELLNESS PROGRAM**
- The Monthly Newsletter to Help You
- Balance Work and Personal Responsibilities
- 202/366-6389 or 800/525-2878 (ext. 1)

_**We’re Here to Help**_
**Parenting**
**Caregiving**
**Elder Care**
**Child Care**
**Balancing Work & Family**
**Health & Wellness**
**Diversity**
**and much more!**

- ***New Mothers***
- DOT has a place for you that is quiet and comfortable to take care of your nursing needs.
- Call the work-life advisor to register for room access.
**Lactation Room #E12-390**

**Work-Life Q&A is back!**
- Please e-mail ?s _[Dot.worklife@dot.gov](mailto:Dot.worklife@dot.gov)_
- This Month’s Question
- Q: My father has fallen a couple times now. What kind of rapid response emergency system should I get for him?
- A:The Center for Disease Control reports that a third of all Americans age 65 and older fall at least once a year.  Having a communication device that offers outside contact and a rapid response in an emergency can bring peace of mind to you and your older loved one, not to mention that it could make the difference between life and death. Here are some things to consider when deciding on which service.
- Decide what level of service is needed. Some personal emergency response systems have more sophisticated equipment that use webcams and wireless motion, as well as contact and temperature sensors.
- Is the communication clear from every point in the user’s home?
- How fast is the response time?
- Compare the costs – Costs and terms of use vary widely.

***Cont’d from page 1, column 1 *****Curiosity & Babies **
- I come from?" Mother proceeded to talk in depth, anxiously stumbling over her words about the reproductive process. Her child looked at her confused throughout, and at the end responded, "I mean, did I come from New York like Daddy or somewhere else?"  If you don’t have the answer, be comfortable saying so. Let them know it’s okay not to have all the answers. This also provides an opportunity to model how to find answers. Go with her to the library or call someone else who might know.
**Use the library! **Take this field trip together often. Find out when your local branch has its story time. Books are windows into all kinds of worlds to delight curious children. Young children who are exposed to books become better readers. Studies show that it doesn’t matter whether children are reading books about rockets or comic books, the key is that their interest is captured and that they like to read.
**Stimulate your child with open-ended questions.** These are questions that don’t have a right or wrong response, and can’t be answered with only one word like "yes" or "no“ like, "How do you feel about.....“. These kinds of questions encourage your child to develop his thoughts and ideas, shows love and interest, and will give you a window into his inner life.
**Create an interesting environment. **Babies spend one-fifth of their waking hours in focused gazing. They’re curious about what’s in their surroundings. Pictures on the wall and normal family activity are naturally fascinating.
**Redirect, don’t discourage. **Try to figure out what is capturing her interest, or what skill she is trying to master and create a safe and acceptable way for her to explore. For example, if your toddler is exploring the houseplants, put them out of reach but offer a close alternative. Put some dirt in a plastic container for your child to play with and inspect.
**Allow time for open-ended activities. **Unlike some toys that are designed to be used a certain way, materials like boxes, blocks, water, sand, pots and pans, and any art material, can be used imaginatively. Do not tell your child what to do with the material, how to do it or what it should look like in the end. Let your child’s curiosity be her guide.
- Adapted from © ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.

**Looking Forward to Retirement**
- After a hard day at the office, do you ask, "Is it time to retire yet?"
- Retirement may seem a long way off, but it's never too early to start
- planning--especially if you want retirement to be the good life you imagine.
- Let's say that your goal is to retire at age 65 with $500,000 in your
- retirement fund. At age 25 you decide to begin contributing $250 per month to your tax-deferred 401(k)account. If your investment earns 6 percent per year, compounded monthly, you'll have more than $500,000 in your investment account when you retire.
- But what would happen if you left things to chance instead? Let's say that
- you're not really worried about retirement, so you wait until you're 35 to begin investing. Assuming you contributed the same amount to your 401(k) and the rate of return on your investment was the same, you would end up with only about half the amount you need.
- Some other points to keep in mind:
- Determine how much money you'll need in retirement: Many experts say
- that you'll need about 75 to 85 percent of your current income to maintain your standard of living.
- Plan for a long life: According to life expectancy charts, you can expect to live for 15 to 20 years past retirement, assuming you retire at age 65.
- Think about how much time you have until retirement, then invest accordingly: For instance, if retirement is a long way off and you can handle some risk, you might choose to invest in stock or equity mutual funds that, though more volatile, offer a higher potential for long-term return than do more conservative investments.
- Consider how inflation will affect your retirement savings: When determining how much you'll need to save for retirement, don't forget that the higher the cost of living, the lower your real rate of return on your investment dollars.
- Written by: **Brian W Thoms, CFP®**
**Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.**