At times, my now-teenagers had a great capacity to step into the shoes of another; but at other times, I felt that despite my best efforts, empathy was lacking. I also noticed that their empathy skills developed differently, despite having the same parents and upbringing. How did what came so young and so naturally for one child seem so challenging for another?
Navigating Difficult Conversations with Children
The last few years have pushed us to our limits as we watch our world become more and more polarized over conversations around gun laws, mental health, the pandemic, race, and a war that rages in Eastern Europe. It seems almost impossible to take a breath. I struggle with how much to share with my children, but I ultimately know that they need to hear the truth – in age appropriate ways – even when it breaks my heart to share it with them.
Here are my suggestions on having these challenging conversations along with some resources that have helped me – and might help you as well.
Compassion Fatigue? 5 Big-Hearted Strategies for Self-Care
Self-care may conjure visions of bubble baths and movie nights (two creature comforts I fully embrace), but there is lots of evidence that a few intentional wellness strategies can help us feel great even in the midst of chaos. These five strategies can help you cultivate your whole family’s sense of well-being.
Raise Kindness! How Can Your Busy Family Practice Compassion Every Day?
At Doing Good Together, we help families start and sustain an intentional “ kindness practice,” a powerful combination of daily habits, big-hearted conversations, great books, and volunteer experiences. Starting - and sustaining - an intentional kindness practice with your busy family is easier than you’d think. Here are the tools to get you started!
Our Storied History: Books for the Changemakers of Today and Tomorrow
Big-Hearted Projects to Build Strong Character
DGT offers this collection of character-building projects and kindness-themed activities to make it easier for your family to act with purpose, build strong character, and strengthen your communities. Everyday family moments set the tone for the sort of people our children will become, making family time the ideal jumping-off point for big-hearted, character-building acts of kindness. Choose your favorite and get started with our conversation starters and video suggestions!
Tools to Raise an Ethical, Engaged Citizen
Doing Good Together's “Care for Others” Package
In this unique time of social distancing and simplified schedules, Doing Good Together is here as always to support you and your family. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite projects for kitchen table kindness. These simple activities will empower your family to support one another and our local communities during this strange time. Plus, each of these projects engages kids in hands-on learning.
Raising Engaged Humans: A Book List for Big-Hearted Parents
At DGT we know that books give us the gift of perspective, a sense that we are not alone on this journey to raise empowered, engaged kids. The books we’ve gathered here offer
inspiration to try something new when the status quo isn’t working,
encouragement and hope at the end of a hard day, and
practical, doable ideas to help you raise kind, community-minded kids.
Resolved: How DGT Can Help You Live Toward Your Big-Hearted Goals
This post is for you, the big-hearted parent who has set the earnest but seemingly sprawling intention to live more compassionately in the coming year. Doing Good Together’s Big-Hearted Families Program was created specifically to help parents seeking the tools, inspiration, and expertise to practice compassion and engagement as a regular part of your busy lives. Here we’ve gathered our favorite resources to get you started.
Active Gratitude: Family Traditions for Kinder, Less Entitled, Happier Kids
8 Big-Hearted Remedies to Care for Your Family’s Emotional Colds
Just like the rest of our body, our mental health occasionally struggles with a bout of the grumps or bit of the blues. These emotionally low moments - featuring worry, self-doubt, fear, frustration, anger, and sadness - are a developmentally normal response to the rough patches of childhood and the stresses of the big changes our children experience throughout their growing up years. It’s our job to help our children learn to understand, cope with, and overcome their emotional upheaval. DGT is offering a few creative strategies to help you start a stockpile for your next run-in with the emotional sniffles.
We've Got Your Back: Digital Parenting Tools for Stronger Real-World Connections
The Inner Work of Childhood: How (and Why) To Become a Family of Philosophers
There is a certain amount of “Who am I?” and “Why are we here?” work that needs to happen during our early years. At Doing Good Together, we have found that a great deal of the inner work happens when kids have the opportunity to ask big questions with adults in their lives. Our latest post gives you the scientific benefits of philosophical inquiry and offers practical tools to get you started.