Holiday Traditions, Parent with Purpose, Teach Kindness
MiaLisa Millares
Loving Hearts, Loving Kindness: Exploring 4 ...

Valentine’s Day often stirs strong feelings, often over-celebrated with material gestures. Our guest contributor shares how her view of the holiday was shifted by a homemade card, revealing the day's deeper potential. Learn how teaching young children about varied forms of love can foster empathy and enrich lives.

Loving Hearts, Loving Kindness: Exploring 4 Lesser-Known Types of Love for Children and Families
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
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Raising Peacemakers

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To create peace in the world, we must strive for peace among our own neighbors, peace within our homes, and peace in our own hearts. Here, we share three everyday strategies to raise peacemakers.

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Little Green Thumbs: A Guide to Doing Good with the Family Garden

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At Doing Good Together™ we love to find ways to make a difference, not occasionally, but regularly, as part of the hobbies and habits we already pursue. Here are four easy ways you and your little one can make a difference with this summer's family vegetable garden and three essential reasons to make gardening your favorite family hobby!

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I Wonder: Tools to Inspire Curiosity, Reflection, and Empathy in Kids

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For nearly fifteen years Doing Good Together has connected parents with essential tools to open a thoughtful dialogue with their kids. We've seen time and again that by reflecting on our experiences, volunteer efforts, and everyday interactions, children develop strong skills in compassion and problem-solving.

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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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I Disagree! 7 Civil Conversation Skills for Kids, Teens, and Families

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In this age of divisiveness, disturbing headlines, and excessive devices, strong communication skills are more important than ever. Let's make time to practice these skills as a family. Here we offer 7 skills your family can begin practicing right now.

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Full Buckets, Happy Hearts, and a Kinder World

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Since it came out in 2006, McCloud's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids has become essential reading in schools and homes across the country.  I recently had the privilege of chatting with Carol McCloud and learning more about her bucket-filling adventures.