Building Empathy

Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

The need for teaching empathy to our children seems to be growing in our society. I am finding more and more articles as well as books being written to help instill this ability in ourselves and our children.

Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn.

The sooner the better, the earlier – the easier!

Teaching empathy is as simple as discussing feelings. How did that make you feel? What do you think the other person might feel? Our society gives us lots of opportunities to have these conversations with our children.

Children that “feel” tend to embrace what they learn and it is “written on their hard drive”.  

Children develop a stronger sense of empathy when their own emotional needs are met.

Teaching our children the value of noticing how other people feel will benefit all of our society!

When we, as parents get good at being empathetic, we become better problem solvers, when we connect with empathy before solving problems with our children, before imposing consequences for their behavior, or before getting into an argument with them. Pausing to connect with empathy takes the anger and resistance out of many situations, and helps us avoid the angry words which damage relationships.