SUPPORT Requires Teamwork: Uplifting Parents in Your Community

In case you missed it, SUPPORT isn’t just a word — it’s a framework for what parents actually need to thrive. Each letter stands for a vital piece of the puzzle: Safety, Understanding, Perinatal care, Paid leave, Options, Reciprocity, & Teamwork. To read more about the previous letter please see the previous 2025 editions.

Imagine a classic scenario – one in which you’ve certainly been involved; a mom in a crowded, backed-up grocery line with a baby strapped onto her body and a toddler desperately trying to escape the cart seat, and all three in various stages of melting down.

How might you respond?

For many parents, this isn’t a hypothetical but a weekly experience. And I can tell you as a mom of 7, and a full-time doula, that the way our community responds to us impacts us all.

I cannot tell you in this short article how to respond to the parent in our scenario – but I can tell you what I know they do not need – any more guilt or shame. Most parents I know have heaps of both. So if you come across a parent in the wild, perhaps share a little encouragement or support. After all, these are the people tasked with raising the next generation, isn’t it? It will take all of us, coming together, to ensure we shift into a society that values those willing to step up to do the job.

The final two letters in the SUPPORT framework stand for Reciprocity and Teamwork. It can be considered a hot take (although I’d love to put my old debate skills to explain why it shouldn’t be) but society owes parents more than we have been getting. This is not just my opinion. Take a moment to google it – the data is clear that when parents, specifically moms, have support, families and communities thrive. But they can not do it alone.  It takes all of us, willing to make small shifts every day to help create a society that not only understands this, but embraces it and moves into action.

Here are five things you can do today and to support parents in your community long term:

1. Smile and offer a word of encouragement or a helping hand. Seriously, it is that easy.

2. Advocate for parents, even if you’re not currently one yourself.

3. Make community spacing welcoming for families. It’s ok to want to carve out some spaces as kid-free, but kids are people, and, importantly, so are their parents.

4. Attend local school events: plays, sporting events, music productions. The kids, the staff, and the school all work hard to support the kids and you can too!

5. Coach or volunteer if you can. (You can even sign up to do behind the scenes work)

I’m not just talking about SUPPORT for parents – I am launching a fundraising campaign this year to establish a third birth option for families in Contra Costa County. The Nest is a holistic hub and community for birth, postpartum, and family wellness, where every season of family life is supported. You can learn more at www.ccfamilynest.org.