Teach Your Child The Value Of Empathy
It is considered that people are born being empathic or not. There is some truth to this statement because some people are born with a natural inclination towards others, which is popularly known as “people skills.” However, empathy is a value. Therefore, it can be taught.
In this interesting post, we’ll give you some tips to introduce your child to the value of empathy.
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other’s shoes, take their point of view and see problems and reality as other people see it. It’s putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to know what they feel and think without the need to mediate words.
It is a personality quality that is located in the interpersonal and emotional development domain of the individual. Therefore, the more empathetic you are, the more harmonious, healthy relationships you guarantee, in addition to success derived from the ability to “know how to read” others.
Teaching your child this value so rare today will guarantee an adult life with greater confidence, flexibility and tolerance towards their partners. A child raised on empathy is not envious or arrogant and will tend to lead teams in a positive, democratic and proactive way.
What is empathy?
Empathy as a value to be taught has several aspects and benefits:
- Ability to perceive the environment and emotions.
- Emotional reaction to other people.
- Identification and externalization of expressions.
- Development of causal thinking in children. That is, knowing how to identify the source of a problem.
- Touch development. An empathic child will know how and when to say things without making others feel bad.
- Respect for the opinions and lifestyles of others.
- Development of emotional intelligence.
A child raised in empathy will enjoy a deep understanding of situations, will know how to approach others and convince them. Empathy allows you to communicate more assertively.
An empathic child is a dear child, appreciated around him, and as an adult he will be someone cherished with social skills that will make him more self-confident, stronger, and more sociable.
Empathy, like math or language, is an interesting value for your child to have as a tool to face the challenges of the world.
How to teach your child the value of empathy?
An effective way is to be empathetic with your child. That is, being aware of your emotions, learning to read your gestures and your silences. It’s genuinely caring about your life. Ask how he feels about a family situation, find out his opinion and respect it.
For example, if you are planning to visit a family member, but your child is not showing any interest or is unwell, ask him why, why, and how he will feel better. You will be surprised to hear their opinion.
Likewise, if your child has been wrong and has caused harm to someone else, you should make them recognize the error and the way their attitude was felt by the other person. Ask him how he would feel if they had done this to him and together look for ways to repair the damage.
Another way to teach empathy is with role plays . Play at masquerading as other family members and imitate their attitudes. This way, you will learn to know what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes.
Children’s movies that have empathy in their theme (Frozen, Spirit, Valente) and reading stories that teach about this quality is a fun way to learn.
Taking care of a pet is also a practical and effective way to teach empathy and responsibility to our children.
Train your ear to listen carefully and avoid sermons. Listen to your child with an open mind. When he sees that you are empathic, he will imitate you.
