Posted on: Monday, December 6, 2004
ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
Handling 'idiots' during holidays
Advertiser Staff
Holiday gatherings often mean having to deal with that annoying aunt or in-law, but John Hoover, author of "How to Live with an Idiot: Clueless Creatures and the People Who Love Them," offers tips to make the family get-togethers a bit more bearable:
• You already know how the problem family members in your life are likely to behave around the holidays. Don't expect more than they've proven willing and able to give. • Reframe your holiday expectations in the context of appreciating what others do without prompting from you.
The class is 6:30 to 8 p.m. tomorrow at the YWCA on 1040 Richards St., room 304. Participants also will receive free samples. For details: call 524-8427.
"Learn how to say 'no' by saying 'yes.' When (my daughter) was a toddler, we learned to gently focus that toddler energy in a good way. ... Example: After a dessert, she might say, 'I want more ice cream!' and we'd say enthusiastically, 'Yes! You may have more ice cream, tomorrow after dinner!' ...
"If it was something she couldn't have (like bagpipes), we'd have to say, quite honestly, 'Yes, you may have that, if you save up your money and buy it yourself when you are an adult in your own home!'" Got tips? Send them to zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Mix your own household cleaner
Learn how to make safe, effective and cost-efficient household cleaners out of natural ingredients including baking soda, salt, vinegar and lemon at a free seminar, part of the Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter's sustainable-living workshop.
Reader's Tip
Raising a child with the "Gimme! Gimme!" syndrome? Reader Laure Lee of Honolulu shares more parenting advice:
