'OHANA BRIEFS
Parents Without Partners plans potluck
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Parents Without Partners, a nonprofit organization, will be holding a family picnic next month.
The potluck picnic is slated for 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 10 at Kewalo Basin. Entrance fee for adults is $1.
Fathers and community leaders can get advice on raising kids at the "Na Polokela No Na Keiki" clinic for fathers Saturday.
Children are invited for the picnic. Participants are asked to bring a dish to share and their own drinks.
Also, the group's new member orientation will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Harris United Methodist Church, at the corner of Vineyard and Nu'uanu. Guest speaker Linda Markt of "It's Just Lunch," a dating service for busy professionals, will discuss finding love and testing one's dating IQ at 8 p.m.
Information: Find information online at go.to/pwp-hi or call 622-3142 or 258-9504 .
Learning to say no is important
From the party you want to skip to the money you shouldn't lend, saying no is often the right thing to do for yourself and others. Real Simple magazine offers these tips for opting out gracefully:
• Never answer in the moment, under pressure. Try "Let me get back to you," and give yourself time to weigh your options.
• Don't fall for flattery. If someone makes an appeal to your vanity, you might not notice it's the wrong time or the wrong assignment for you.
• Ask yourself: Is this in my best interests? Will the person who's asking ever return the favor?
• Don't beat yourself up for the one time you say no when you've said yes so many times before.
Fathers get life lessons
A "Na Po1okela No Na Keiki" clinic for fathers will be 7:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawai'i, teaching fathers, grandpas, uncles, coaches and community leaders ways to raise healthy children and youth.
Kimo Kahoano will serve as emcee. Speakers will be Skippa Diaz, former football coach at Farrington High School; Bernard Carvalho, director of the Office of Community Assistance for Kaua'i County; and D.J. Vanas.
The clinic, to be held in the Ed Wong Hospitality Suite at the Stan Sheriff Center, costs $10, which includes breakfast and two UH football tickets (one adult, one child) for the season opener against Florida Atlantic.
Information: Hawaii Coalition for Dads, 841-2245.
Get help for adoption blues
You don't have to give birth to get the baby blues. Moms who adopt may have similar emotions — yet many are reluctant to admit it for fear of an unsympathetic response.
June Bond, an adoption advocate, tells Parenting magazine that caring for any new child can be emotionally intense and physically exhausting. Here's what can help:
• Turn to your family or a good friend, try a support group or seek out a healthcare professional.
• Talk to another adoptive parent or with your caseworker.
• Consider a parenting class, especially if you feel overwhelmed by everyday stresses.
• If symptoms persist, speak to your doctor, who can recommend the best treatment.
