Your children learn so much by picking up on the things you do. They are influenced by your every word, sometimes when you don’t know they’re listening. Your kids are always watching. They look up to you and want to do the things you’re doing.

This isn’t always good. Sometimes you don’t realize your children noticing your bad behavior. This is why you have to be careful what you do or say whenever your children are around.

You probably understand this. Most parents do. And though you might slip up from time to time, you’re usually pretty good about setting the right example. “Do what I do” is always a better teacher than telling your children to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.

If you want to teach your children healthy empathy for others, you need to lead by example. Continue reading →

Are you an empathetic person? A lot of people will answer that question positively. No one likes to admit that they’re selfish or that they can’t understand the emotions of others. Then there are those people who simply don’t realize they aren’t good at identifying situations that require an empathetic response.

The definition of empathy is understanding another person’s feelings about a situation by looking at it from their point of view. Empathy then means stepping forward and providing some assistance in an attempt to move that person out of a negative emotional situation.

By the way, this isn’t always the right response when you notice someone struggling emotionally.

Just because you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes doesn’t mean you should act. You don’t owe anyone your empathy. That may sound cold. We’re not encouraging you to stand by and let someone suffer. We’re just saying that some individuals in certain situations should be left to their own devices. Continue reading →