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
Start Kind Conversations, Parent with Purpose, Advocate, Kindness Practice, Pick a Project, Read Together
MiaLisa Millares
Transforming a Child’s “I Can’t” into “I Can!”

As adults, we have a better sense of what is within our locus of control and how we can approach solving problems from our mature perspective, whereas young children see a lot of problems as big and insurmountable even if they are not. The good news is that we can cultivate the growth of our child’s sense of helpfulness over time in ways that match their developmental stage, while teaching about both agency AND the interconnectedness of humanity.

Transforming a Child’s “I Can’t” into “I Can!”
Start Kind Conversations, Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
Inspiring a Growth Mindset for Kids: How ...

in the last few years, I have worked diligently to cultivate a growth mindset and to model that approach for my teenage children. The basic idea behind this concept is that by using “yet” at the end of a sentence, we reframe our approach to problems and retrain our brains to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. 

Inspiring a Growth Mindset for Kids: How Parents Can Lead by Example
Start Kind Conversations, Parent with Purpose
MiaLisa Millares
How to Talk to Kids About Poverty, Mental ...

The world in which we are helping our children to grow is not free from adversity, small or large. We cannot shield young people from the troubles of their community and world. And while it might make us caring adults feel better to try, research shows that doing so is not to their benefit, either. Children are innately curious and working continuously on relating to others as their empathy skills develop. They wonder about big questions like, “how am I similar or different to people I see suffering,” “could that happen to me,” and “my heart hurts for them; how do I help them.” Many who witness tragedy or challenges faced by other people in the world ask the same questions. How do we explain problems like poverty, mental illness, systemic racism, and violence to these small humans?

How to Talk to Kids About Poverty, Mental Illness, Systemic Racism, and Violence

Pick a Project

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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.

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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.

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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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How to Quiet Distractions and Focus on Doing Good

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Sharing compassion with others meets critical needs in our communities, even as it heals our spirits. With each act of service, our families can be a force for love and kindness, helping to heal our fractured country and connect meaningfully with those around us.

And along the way, our children will discover what it means to live an engaged and compassionate life.

6 Fun Ways to Get your Family Involved with Meals on Wheels

Meals on Wheels does amazing work, keeping seniors - safely - in their homes longer and addressing the growing problem of hunger among older Americans. And my personal favorite aspect of Meals on Wheels? You'll be helping out your immediate community, making the effort very tangible and knowable for kids of any age.

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5 Lessons We've Learned One-Book-at-a-Time

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Each month we send a book and a letter to a little girl across the country. And each month, she sends a letter back. Because One Book at a Time is this month's project of the month, I’ve had some time to reflect on what my family has learned by participating in this project. I’ve boiled it down to 5 distinct lessons.