Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
Parenting Pressure: How the Surgeon General’s ...

As parents and caregivers, you likely know all too well the daily stressors you face. The surgeon general’s report outlines the specific challenges we face at each stage of a child’s development, from sleepless nights with newborns to navigating the troubled teen years. The stress doesn’t just affect us as parents, it spreads to impact the whole family unit. And when we worry that our stress is affecting our kids, the cycle feels never-ending. The surgeon general’s report calls attention to this vicious cycle and offers actionable ways to break it.

Parenting Pressure: How the Surgeon General’s Advisory Aims to Support You
Parent with Purpose, Advocate
MiaLisa Millares
Disagreements and Differences: Strategies for ...

In today's fast-paced information cycle, issues are often presented as black or white, right or wrong. When parents actively listen and support diverse perspectives on various topics, from child care to nutrition, they model for children how to understand and appreciate differences, encouraging a more nuanced and empathetic view of the world.

Disagreements and Differences: Strategies for Helping Kids Navigate Our Divisive World
Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
The Important Impact of Community and ...

Mental health experts recommend helping young people build an understanding over time of what they can and can’t control. Bringing the focus to “how we treat other people; what activities we do the next day; what goals we have; who we spend time with; how hard we try to do the best we can” is something we can start in middle childhood to build a strong frame of reference in adolescence.

The Important Impact of Community and Volunteering in Helping Children and Teens Navigate Life Transitions
Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
Embrace the Chaos: Supporting a Child’s Growth ...

Buckling up for a metaphorical bumpy ride from time to time as you enter a new job, experience a change in leadership, or encounter a developmental growth spurt is something that begins at birth and follows us until life’s conclusion. The winds of change blow strong. With children, we sometimes don’t see the changes themselves right away; instead, we see the impact of the changes in personal barometers of behavior and mood. How can we as supportive humans respond effectively to the need for change and see the purpose behind the disequilibrium?

Embrace the Chaos: Supporting a Child’s Growth Through Turbulent Times
Start Kind Conversations, Parent with Purpose, Pick a Project, Quick Acts of Kindness
MiaLisa Millares
Shine Your Light: 5 Strategies to Empower ...

People want and need to be seen. It is a fundamental characteristic of humans that we seek opportunities to connect with others in an authentic way. We want to feel noticed and valued as a member of the human community. We want to understand AND be understood. This connection is vital to our feelings of safety and happiness, and ultimately is foundational to our ability to work through challenges, think critically, be planful, and other executive function skills. How can adults use that in-born inclination to shine a light on actions that we wish to reinforce in our children? 

Shine Your Light: 5 Strategies to Empower Children by Reinforcing Positive Actions

Holiday Traditions

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How to Have a Season of Presence

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How to Have a Season of Presence

As the month turns, many of us find ourselves entering a time of year that is busy, busy, busy–with both regular daily and seasonal activities filling our calendars. Family pursuits such as athletics, the arts, and other skill-building pastimes intermingle with daily rituals of school, work, and keeping a household running smoothly. There are also many holidays observed around the world in the coming months and families add rituals surrounding these days to their already-full dockets. We get busier with the preparation of special meals shared with family and friends, the selection and giving of gifts, the travel plans that require time, and financial resources to bring families together. As a parent, I often find this season to be, well, A LOT. Here are some ideas for families looking to stay connected to presence/mindfulness in the busy months ahead.

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Share 31 Days of Hygge-Inspired Kindness

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May this month-long kindness challenge become a much-loved tradition for your family’s giving season. Each activity is an invitation to spend meaningful moments together, share kindness in your community, and enjoy an exorbitant amount of hot chocolate and cookies.

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5 Gifts Every Family Needs More of All Year Long

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Here's the truth about the holidays. One family alone cannot cancel the chaos. We cannot simplify our way out of the year-end hustle. And we just might need a little help! If you have some spare energy  that you didn't have a year or two or twenty ago, reach out to a family you love with gifts that will lighten the worry weight of the holiday season.

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7 Packable Projects for Road Trip Kindness

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Here at Doing Good Together, we'd like to suggest one small addition to your family adventure: plan for a few intentional acts of road trip kindness.Let's teach our children that our essential values of compassion and empathy don't take a vacation. Acts of kindness are a natural part of daily life, even on the road.