Are you raising an insensitive child?

empathy / Pronunciation key – [em-puh-thee] -noun 1. Intellectual identification with or vicarious experience of another’s feelings, thoughts, or attitudes. A three-year-old boy declares from his seat in the back seat of his truck: “Mom, we have to be very careful with that motorcycle, don’t we?”

In contrast, another little five-year-old girl giggles, as her teammate trips over the ball and limps off the field crying into mom’s arms. The laughing child is angry that the game has to stop to attend to the injured child, “but I want to play now!”

What makes these two children so different in their abilities to be empathic? Why does the five-year-old show less empathy than the three-year-old?

1. It is crucial for a child’s moral development that parents teach empathy.
2. Empathy must be taught to children; it does not develop without training.
3. Empathy training must begin in childhood.

It is quite clear from the children’s reactions in the two different situations that one child has had continuous empathy training from birth, while the other child has not had the same training. Lack of empathy training can lead to callous, self-centered, and narcissistic adults.

empathy modeling

It is well known that children learn by example. Therefore, showing empathy is a crucial way to teach children to be empathic. There are many different ways to model empathy.

compassionate parents.

Patience, kindness, and thoughtful interaction with children help to raise kind, empathetic, and compassionate people. Taking the time to really listen and focus on what a child is saying is the beginning of teaching empathy.

Kneeling when giving directions, listening carefully to what the child is saying and repeating their words, and reading their emotions – these are all ways to show children what it is like for someone to try to experience what they are feeling. Parents should not forget to model compassion outside of the home as well. Treating people with dignity and respect teaches children to treat people with dignity and respect.

Help children experience empathy firsthand.

Take the kids to a local animal shelter, donate used items to a homeless shelter, and visit assisted living facilities. These and other acts of kindness bring children closer to those in need.

It exhibits children to great humanitarians.

A trip to the library to research famous humanitarians can be a wonderful experience for parents eager to instill empathy in their children. Learning about great donors such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and current Nobel Peace Prize winner Aun San Suu Kyi will broaden children’s world view and teach them about the people they have dedicated their lives to improve. of others.

Label emotions so children understand the normal feelings they are experiencing.

Children have the same feelings as adults, such as anxiety, sadness, frustration, and anger. Parents can help them identify their emotions by paying close attention to them and asking them what they are feeling. Helping a child get in touch with her feelings is an empathetic gesture and brings parent and child together. Parents can explain that everyone experiences feelings. For example, the girl sitting alone at lunch feels lonely. Similarly, the child who put her name on the board for misbehavior probably felt embarrassed and embarrassed.

Identify situations in which empathy is appropriate.

Homelessness, injured animals, crying children and sad relatives are situations that children face face to face. Being sensitive to age and maturity so as not to scare children, parents can point out and discuss sad situations with children. Simple questions like, “How would you feel if…” train children to put themselves in other people’s shoes.

The goal of teaching children empathy is to raise kind and caring adults. Living in a world that places an enormous emphasis on fame, immediate gratification, and acquisition can retard children’s social development by putting all the emphasis on “me.” Without the ability to shift focus from “me” to others, people cannot form deep and lasting relationships as adults.

Parents should not underestimate their role in instilling empathy in their children. Empathy training occurs at home since childhood. By teaching children how to feel what others may be feeling, parents will raise loving and kind people.