The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 29

mm 1 1-P Vf-r' 1 i PIERCE BROSNAN Actor makes weak 'Chain' I Page 6D Crossword, 2D Horoscope, 2D Television, 6-7D IVING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1993 Families -i doggone sure your child, pat are compaiih! aw 'teVi (vf hU-vJi -iS By Dr. LAWRENCE KUTNER N.Y. Times News Service Pets are an integral part of many children's lives. Yet the match between the child and the animal can be difficult as shown by the number of household pets taken to animal shelters by frus- trated parents. To make the relationship work and to have realistic expectations, parents should understand their child's stage of development the nature of the animal and the profound effects that animal will have on their household.

"It makes me shudder when I hear someone say, 'We're getting our child a pet so that he can learn said Maureen Fredrickson, the program director of the Delta Society, a national organization in Renton, that studies interactions between people and animals. "You cant expect a 4-year-old to care even for a goldfish without supervision," she added. In fact goldfish and many other so-called starter pets for young children, like turtles, may not be the best choices because they dont respond well to a child's affection and care. The child's relationship to such an animal has to be more intellectual than cuddly, at a time when her developmental needs and abilities are the opposite. Many children quickly lose interest in caring for them.

WW Itaat MuscofBobsaodTexasPW for their new record Tribute "Until they're about 6, children see pets as another toy, like a stuffed MATCH MAKING animal or doll. I Choosing a pet, said Dr. Charles on 2D. By ROBERT K. OERMANN hen Asleep at the Wheel's leader Ray Benson decided to make his All xasmDuieaiDumiououniry I 1 1 Music Hall of Famer Bob Wills, 1 Via fminfl ciiimrfcincr ciirrnr4 in 11V IV U11U 01U pi lUlllg uupui 111 Nashville.

"Bob Wills has been sort of Ww ij.W George Strait Big Ball's in Cowtovm Vince Gill Yearning and Red Wing (with Chet Atkins, Marty Stuart etc.) Garth Brooks Deep Water Lyle Lovett- Blues for Dixie Dolly Parton Billy Dale Johnny Rodriguez -Across the Valley from the Alamo Suzy Bogguss Old Fashioned Love Marty Stuart Misery and Red Wing (with Chet Atkins, Vince Gill, etc.) Merle Haggard Wonder If You Feel the Way I Do Huey Lewis Hubbin' It and Ida Red (with Willie Nelson, etc.) Brooks Dunn Corine Corina Willie Nelson Still Water Runs the Deepest and Ida Red (with Huey Lewis, etc.) Riders In the Sky Ousfy Skies Ray BensonAsleep at the Wheel Got a Letter From My Kid Today, Bring It On Down to My House, plus all other tracks. Leon Rausch, Johnny GimWe, Eldon ShamblirvTexas Playboys alumni -AS Night Long, Red Wing, Ida Red Peck, a veterinarian in Minneapolis who specializes in household pets. "They dont see them as living entities that have needs." For example, a preschooler may not understand that his cat prefers to be left alone during mealtimes or that his rabbit shouldn't be picked up by the ears. The young child's own needs to play with and manipulate the animal outweigh his understanding of the pet's feelings. "During elementary school, children tend to treat a pet like a sibling," Peck said.

"They'll play ball with the dog or play house with the cat" Pets take on a new and important role during a child's adolescence. At this age, children report viewing their pets more as friends and even confidants. A 14-year-old who is feeling socially awkward can tell her feelings to her dog and know she wont be rejected. Many teen-agers will "discuss" their lives with their pets in ways they would feel too uncomfortable to do with an adult Intense emotional relationships between children and animals start much earlier and may make children more aware of how other people feel as well. Dr.

Robert Poresky, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Kansas State University, has been researching the effects of household pets on children between ages 3 and 5. "Our studies have found that children who have pets and interact with them tend to have significantly more empathy than children who dont," he said. Many parents, especially those who are new to the type of pet they choose, underestimate the effects it will have on their family's day-tonday routine. Who will care for the animal if you go away for the weekend or decide to take a summer vacation? How will the animal react to being left alone for most of the day? Who's going to take the dog for a walk in the rain or clean up after the rabbit? Unfortunately, veterinarians say, Turn to PAGE 2D, Column 3 later, Benson has discovered there are a few things that have remained constant "From the beginning, I said I wanted to bring this old stuff back to the kids in a style and presentation that they can understand. So they can see how great this music is.

"We do all kinds of styles notably blues, ballads, boogie-woogie and honky-tonk, as well as western swing, but the public has always zeroed in on our Bob Wills stuff. I've always felt that the combination of Asleep at the Wheel and Bob Wills was something the public responded very strongly to. And you really do have to pay attention to your audience." But most Nashville record executives perceived the Wills western-swing style as dead and buried. With the exceptions of San Antonio Rose, Ida Red, Faded Love and a handful of other tunes, the Wills legacy was often dismissed. Bob Wills (1905-1975) borrowed elements from black blues, Dixieland jazz, fiddle hoedowns, cowboy music, Mexican mariachi, pop ballads, big-band swing, medicine-show hokum, German polkas and traditional folk melodies to create his innovative western-swing sound.

He was the first massively popular country artist whose bandmembers used electronic amplification, prefiguring the rise of rock 'n' roll by 20 years. He brought brass instrumentation to the country sound. His Texas Playboys big band, 21 members at its peak, taught hillbilly pickers to improvise and to swing. He brought drums onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry and into the country dancehalls. Wills was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968, but his heyday was really 1935-1950.

Despite the revival efforts of Mel Tillis, Merle Haggard and Ray Price, it was mainly older country fans who remembered how revolutionary that forgotten part of country," says the 6-foot-6 bandleader. "Most people still dont know who he is." Benson's band has been reviving the Wills western-swing sound for more than 20 years. But that jazz-country style has always thrived in Texas, Oklahoma and California more than in Music City. Asleep at the Wheel's previous Nashville record labels turned his Bob Wills project down, assuming it would have little commercial success. But at Liberty Records, Benson found the financial support he wanted.

And in the 1990s' crop of young-country stylists he found the star-power he needed. Garth Brooks, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett Brooks Dunn, Suzy Bogguss and George Strait all lent their talents to Tribute to the Music of Bob With and the Texas Playboys. So did Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Riders in the Sky, Merle Haggard, Johnny Rodriguez and even rocker Huey Lewis. "This has been just a pleasure," comments the pleasantly surprised Benson. "It's the single most gratifying thing to me, personally.

There is this whole 'nother generation taking traditional country music and making it their own." Benson, 42, formed Asleep at the Wheel in 1969 as a hippie roots-music band to revive older country styles. The band began issuing albums in 1973 and moved to Austin, Texas in 1974. Sixteen albums and countless Wheel personnel changes Bob Wills had been. But Benson's band proves that the diversity, flexibility and breadth of Bob's western-swing sound can still astound young listeners. Once you've heard that beat, you like it It's Turn to PAGE 2D, Column 4 in TELEVISION NO KIDDING? Don't DO That! It might surprise REAL PEOPLE On: Favorite comic book Pink Slips for Alex and her crew as 1 her talk show is canceled, while Georgia debates sending troubled Trevor to a reform school on Sisters at 9 p.m.

on WSMV-Chan-nel 4. i BY THE NUMBERS Sliver rises high on the video rentals list to the No. spot for this past week. Here's what follows It: 2. Indecent Proposal 3.

Cliffhanger 4. Free Willy 5. Made In America 6. Dennis the Menace 7. Groundhog Day 8.

Point of No Return 9. Posse 10. The Sandtot Source: Billboard Magazina i "Spawn is my favorite," says Wayne County High School student Phillip Kilburn. "I like the writer, I like the way they're drawn, I like the roles they have. Spawn was a World War II vet that was killed.

He fights eaainst the devil. I like you to discover that these acts are offensive In foreign countries: 1. Denmark: Tipping cab drivers 2. China: Giving expensive gifts 3. Japan: Addressing natives by first names 4.

Korea: Opening gift in front of giver 5. Iran: Giving a hearty backslap 6. Malaysia: Giving gift with left hand Source: and Taboos Around the World 3rd Edition (Roger E. Axtell, John Wiley ScVis, 1993) SECTION EDITORS Catherine Mayhew, Managing EditorFeatures, call 259-8058 Patrick Connolly, Deputy Managing EditorFeatures, call 259-8040 How to list an event, call 259-8050 To fax an event, 259-8057 (Monday-Friday) Santa's replacement saves the holiday on Ernest Saves Christmas at 7 p.m. on WKRN-Channel 2.

Complete TV listings on Page 7D. vvhat he says." KLBURN.