Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
The Messy Middle: Helping Children Understand ...

We might apply the idea of a “messy middle” to much of life–switching careers, engaging in social change, even parenting/family life itself. Most of our lives happen in this space, when you stop to think about it–we haven’t yet “arrived” at the metaphorical place of organization and tranquility, but are constantly evolving our processes to be responsive to needs. How might we help our children understand the messy middle–its necessity, its tension, its gift–in a developmentally-appropriate way?

The Messy Middle: Helping Children Understand Process Over Product
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

Parent with Purpose

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Words Matter: Harness the Power of Poetry

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At Doing Good Together, we know how the right turn of phrase can encourage more kindness. We know how a great book can cultivate empathy, opening a child up to the feelings and experiences of a stranger. And just in time for the last weekend of National Poetry Month, we have added a new project harnessing the power of poetry for good.

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Pre-K Kindness: Tools for Our Littlest Do Gooders

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I’ve been working with Doing Good Together for a long time, long enough to know how important it is to grow strong roots of kindness and courage before that first day of school. Habits of kindness will help forge new friendships. Regular volunteering gives kids a strong sense of empowerment, as they see themselves as helpers. This self-reliance translates to courage in the classroom, as well as on the playground.

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Unfrazzle Family Life: Make More Time for What Matters Most

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Even when you're doing your best to keep things simple, family life can be full at best. Often it's downright frazzled and unruly. To help your family make room for kindness, Doing Good Together™ has created a unique Family Meeting Agenda designed to unfrazzle family life.

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A Music Lovers' Guide to Doing Good (with a Big-Hearted Playlist)

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Music helps us rally and brings us together in a way few other mediums can. In spite all of its power, music has been absent from Doing Good Together's big-hearted offerings. Until now.Here are 5 projects for big-hearted music lovers.

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Expand Your Circle: 6 Fun Ways to Reach Out, Teach Empathy, and Embrace Differences

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Finding our tribe is good for our health. It's good for our jobs. It helps us live longer. But do our tribes limit our social experiences? We need to intentionally throw open the gates to new friendships and new social experiences if we’re going to expand our cultural boundaries and unlearn the prejudice that's unraveling our country.

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On Mindfulness: Nine Tools for a More Grateful, Peaceful, and Connected Family Life

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Unless we adopt healthy, intentional habits in our everyday family life, our best efforts at mindfulness will wind up like so many other things on our check lists: multi-tasked into meaninglessness, plowed through quickly, and crossed off before our goal is reached.