total newb question but how do i attach the axis graphic to my object and children?

in the scene the axis graphic is a great distance from my object and makes placement EXTREMELY difficult. how do i place it in or near my object? I have no idea why it is so far away

 

The gizmo you are referring to is always placed at the "pivot" of the object. A couple common reasons the pivot may be far away from the object you're trying to move:

• The 3D model/mesh you've imported has its origin or pivot very far away from most of the vertices in the model.
• Your object is the parent of a child object that has a large local position offset
• Your object contains many child objects which are far away from one another

 

so how do i recenter the pivot point?

 

It depends on which of the above scenarios applies to your particular issue. Have you identified the problem?

 

If it's a 3d model that you imported then you'd need to open it in a 3d software and center it's pivot to your object.
If this gameObject has many children as PraetorBlue said you would need to place all those children closer to your object if their localposition makes no difference to you.