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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Cutting support risky Dear Mr. Rockefeller, My wife and I have been divorced for 10 years. For the past several years, I have been paying more child support than required. I want to stop; what happens if I do? Dear Reader, My family law clients often seem not to understand how divorces work. The purpose of having a final decree is to ensure there is an enforce able court order, in the absence of the divorced spouses being able to reach an agree me n t Ij^l Jim Rockefeller Columnist between themselves. They can pretty much do what ever they want - less or more child support, less or more visitation - even if not exactly as written in the final decree. However, once they turn to the law, the final decree becomes the relevant starting point for their respective rights and responsibilities. It is commendable for you to voluntarily pay more child support than actually required; you are thinking like a father and not a law yer. Every parent should do as much as possible for their children; court-ordered child support is just a bare mini mum. Hence, my first com ment would be that if you can afford to pay the extra child support, you should continue. Legally, you can stop pay ing more than the required amount, but your ex-wife probably could sue you for an increased amount of child support (raising that “bare minimum’’ you legally have to pay), since, presumably, you earn more money than 10 years ago. Additionally, the new guidelines might increase your exposure - you will need to consult with an attorney about this to know for sure. My suggestion, then, would be that you might want to seriously consider continuing to pay the extra child support. The hassle and expense of forcing her to file a lawsuit may, in the end, get you to the same Nerve problems serious issue Nerve problems: Passing signals between your brain and your feet, nerves are bundles of special fibers that act like electric wires. When a nerve is pinched by inflamed tissue or swol len vein- some or all of the signals can’t travel their complete route. As a result, you may feel pain, numb ness, or tingling in your heel. Even a nerve pinched in your back may send abnormal signals (referred W Hf « Dr. Jokhai Columnist The Foot Doctor pain) to your heel. Reducing pressure on the affected nerve are some types of treat ment goals for this problem. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome This syndrome occurs when the nerve running behind your anklebone, within the tarsal tunnel, is pinched by inflamed tissue, a swollen blood vessel, or a tumor. In your heel you may feel burning or stabbing pain. These symptoms may also shoot into the front of your Assessing Your Leadership Skills -SBS/person iSHi zj&'-WSbM place you are now. Dear Mr. Rockefeller, My daughters were taken away from me by DFCS. Since May, I have had a full-time job and a stable place to live (I live with my boss) and he is will ing to let my kids and me to live with him. What do I need to do? Dear Reader, Although it is commendable that you have made strides in your life, if the situation was serious enough that your daughters were taken from you, a mere seven months of having a job MAY not be enough for you to get them back. Please take my response to heart, and understand that I am trying to be honest and not hurtful. Think about this - your job, and your home, are both dependent on a man with whom I can only assume you are involved in some type of relationship. Before giving you back your daughters, DFCS will want to see that you are standing strong, on your own, as opposed to being in such a potentially vulnerable situation. What happens to you if you have a falling out with your boss? Where would you live, where would you work? What would happen to your babies? Also, we see much in the news about protecting children from abuse and, in particular, from “sexual predators.” Statics suggest that maybe as much as 95 percent of all child molesta tion occurs in situations like you propose, where girls (or boys) are living with strange adults. If I were you, I would not want to invite your chil dren into your current living arrangements. It seems you are making progress, but you have a bit more to travel before you are likely to get your children back. Keep it up and that day will soon come! Warner Robins attorney Jim Rockefeller is the for mer Chief Assistant District Attorney for Houston County, and a former Assistant State Attorney in Miami. Owner of Rockefeller Law Center, Jim has been in private practice since 2000. E-mail your comments or confi dential legal questions to ajr@rocke feller lawcenter. com. foot or up the leg. Plantar Nerve Entrapment Entrapment occurs when one or a tight or inflamed planter fascia pinches more branches of the plantar nerve, usually. You may feel burning or shooting pain from your heel into the arch of your foot. Low back problems A low back problem such as arthritis or a bulging disc may place pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing referred pain in your feet. In one or both heels you may feel numbness or shooting pains. THERMAL SIDING & REPLACEMENT WINDOWS 0 SIMON TON' WIND O W 3 IV< «>!*# fjtlattji* F. Dennis Hooper Certified Leadership Development Coach Building leaders and organizations of excellence (478) 988-0237 & CedarMAX lotSQfrOOQ H! '& ' H 929-2701 37722 dhooper2(fl)juno.eom Who owns your leadership development system? A ny routine work repetitively accom- JL JLplished in your orga nization is a system. You may call it a method or a process. If you execute the process, method, or system the same each time, you are assured of having an outcome that you expect, and hopefully one that serves the organi zation well. If you wanted to improve one of your systems, you’d likely go to the person in your organization who you consider to be the “owner” of that system. You may not use that particular word to describe that person, but there is probably someone you consider to be the most responsible individual for making that system deliver the outcome you desire. For example, you likely have someone who oversees your accounting system. You probably have someone who makes sure all your human resources systems meet legal guidelines. If you have a complex manufacturing process, you probably expect a process engineer to specify safety and operating procedures. You probably assign a proj ect engineer or manager to oversee the planning i i _4_ two day Save«sD» Last Day to Save! 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So this article asks, "Who in your organization is your system owner for leader ship development?” That is, who do you hold account able for ensuring that the future leadership needs of your organization are being generated today? I real ize that many who read this column will not easily answer this ques tion. Maybe you Dennis Hooper Leaders Building Leaders don’t currently have a sys tem of leadership develop ment. Many organizations unintentionally overlook putting energy into building the leadership skills they’ll need in the future. Why? It’s usually not been a conscious decision. It’s just that everyone is put ting their time, energy, and knowledge against meeting the current needs of their customers. If that’s true for you, I ask you to consider iden BBRjra §■ V _ I 50% OFF SWEATERS FOR HIM -M V 11- M-> S. Rk- - K X X 05 X Sale 16.00-27.50 ■ ..ref sj: FREE ALL CHRISTMAS DECOR C> nil. ■- *1 :'!.ti~. w?v*jri-i aXitxx. iXh h* :: i iSOioe; tifying an individual who you will ask to investigate creating a leadership devel opment system. One short-term advan tage that I’ve seen when organizations focus on developing future leaders is an improvement in other current systems. And that typically leads to improved results in every measurable area. The long-term advantage, of course, is that the orga nization is never forced to hold back on growth oppor tunities because of lack of leadership. As situations present themselves, several individuals are available to lead the effort to expand the organization in that area. You might wonder what characteristics you should look for in selecting a sys tem owner for leadership development. I recommend someone who enjoys learn ing and who naturally sup ports the success of oth ers. It should be a strong individual who already is respected, because he or she will have to overcome the inertia of never having had any organized system for personal growth. When I work with an orga nization to install a leader ship development system, | v ;v J 50% OFF KNIT TOPS FOR HER Vfo-ss-'s. pern ■ and p - i-iz-x. - ■ ■ Sale 750-10 00 Efc, c JhßF' Is 50% OFF HOLIDAY JEWELRY |v -:OiX-. r-*- '.x ru -IXx r, ■ I:-- Sale6.oo-7.50 " JP\ Gum! Collectible Plush m WITH ANY ilvo PUOCHASC THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2006 ♦ I ask for such a person to serve as my internal ally, and I spend significant time training this individual. He or she provides support and accountability, not only to the initial individuals par ticipating in this process, but also to the decision maker who authorized the installation of this system. We generate an expecta tions document that forms the basis for ’the relation ship between the organi zational leader, the system owner, and me. It outlines the expected outcomes, the guidelines, the resources, how progress will be reported, and the consequences for the indi vidual and the organiza tion. If you would like to see a one-page sample of such an agreement, please contact me. Dennis Hooper is a cer tified leadership develop ment coach who helps lead ers build organizations of excellence. E-mail him at dhooper2(fnjuno.com or phone him at 478-988-0237. People Pleasing! {We will delight you!) 1-75 Exit 1 36 • 987-8877 41Q52 50% OFF SWEATERS FOR HER Misses, petites and plus-sizes. Reg. 28.00-48.00, Safe 14.00-24,00 40% OFF SAG HARBOR SPORTSWEAR For misses, petites and plus-fuzes Rag 30.00-60.00 Safa 18,00-36,00 40% OFF ENTIRE STOCK MISSES IZOD Knit tops, jackets, pants and sweaters. Reg 32 00-58.00. Sale 19^0-34.80 50% OFF JUNIORS SWEATERS By GAS* It's Our Time’ and Energie! 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