About Empathy in the Child’s Education, Ensures a Harmonious Relationship

Empathy in the child's education - empathy between parent and child is the one that opens the way of communication, which ensures a harmonious relationship and easier resolution of conflicts that inevitably arise. But what is empathy?

Empathy is that deep connection between two people, that connection that allows the person to perceive the other's feelings and needs and not just their feelings and needs.

Think of a person with whom you have an emotional, open, and harmonious relationship - you will say for sure that one of the most important reasons why that relationship is good is "I feel that he understands and appreciates me": this is empathy. . And the child needs to feel that the parent is empathetic, that he understands and listens to him.

Empathy in the education and upbringing of the child forms the bridge and ensures a healthy relationship between parents and children. Empathy is a communication skill that we can all practice and improve through practice.

In the emotional parent-child relationship, empathy must be developed and perfected because it is so easy for the parent to block without wanting to communicate, to remove his child, which he feels is not understood. Too many children come to believe that their parents can't understand them.

About empathy in a child's education - what empathy means:

Empathy means trying to find common ground in the relationship - doing activities with the child that he likes, being interested in, and discussing his interests. Encouraging the child to talk about their interests is an important step. Empathy means that you feel good together. Find activities that you enjoy doing together.

Empathy means valuing what the other person thinks and feels, trying to understand their emotions, moods, ideas. No criticism! To truly understand is to try to put aside one's own opinions and judgments for a moment and to try to understand the other's; to try to look at it from his point of view; to try to put yourself in his place; to get a little out of you and into the other's world.

This is difficult, especially since you are different, and the age gap is deep. But it is not impossible: practice, putting aside what you believe and trying to understand in depth what the child believes and feels, looking from his perspective! Moreover, being empathetic means trying to understand why and how the other person feels or thinks, even if you do not agree!

Empathy also means talking about yourself. Showing interest in the child's interests, activities, thoughts, and opinions is part of the interaction. The other, which will develop the child's empathy for the parent, is to talk to him about his own life, interests, feelings.

Don't think that you can't talk about it with a child sharing how you feel and what you think is extremely important.

Empathy in the education and upbringing of the child means showing appreciation and interest. Show that you value the other person, that you appreciate him, and that you are interested in him. Moreover, try to always consider their opinions and situations: ignoring that the other person may feel and think differently is a wrong step in the relationship.

Do not ignore the child's feelings and opinions, regardless of age: ask him what he thinks when a decision is made in the family; ask him what he thinks about a topic; listen to what he tells you with real interest - this is the only way you can begin to understand it.

Empathy in the education and upbringing of the child means respect and sincerity. Showing respect for the child is necessary if you want his respect. In this perspective, it is very important to acknowledge your own mistakes, not to expect to be always the one who asks and commands, the one who is always listened to and to be able to ask for forgiveness; the parent who does not accept that he too can make a mistake and who limits communication to authority blocks communication and builds a one-way relationship.

Being honest with the child is another important aspect: even if the truth may be difficult, it is always preferable; by always telling him the truth, even when it is not pleasing, you teach him how valuable it is to be himself and to say what he thinks.

Empathy means not believing that only what you believe, feel and see is the truth. The other has a different perspective, which can be just as valuable. Don't ask the child to feel and think the same way you do and don't impose your point of view on him.

Empathy in the child's upbringing and upbringing means emphasizing the child's motives and needs. An important aspect when we talk about empathy in the parent-child relationship: there is what specialists call "motivational replacement" in the parent-child emotional relationship.

This term refers to the ability to sometimes set aside one's motives and needs and put those of the child first. When raising a child, don't just think about what reasons, needs, and desires you have - but what reasons, needs, and desires your child has. What is good for him and not for you! And to know what is good for him, you have to be able to communicate with him, to be able to enter his world as a child, and to see his feelings, ideas.

Empathy in educating and raising a child means learning to listen - this is called active listening. To listen by getting involved in what you hear, to listen by trying to understand the real message, to understand the emotions transmitted, not just the words.

Listen without rushing, without intervening when the other is still talking, without thinking only about what you are going to say (leave aside for the time being what you want to say, emphasizing what you hear). When you learn to listen actively, the child will learn from you!

Active listening involves taking an interest in what is being said; not thinking about your own opinions while listening to the other's; not intervening suddenly with one's own opinion, advice, or criticism; to perceiving the emotions transmitted through words and gestures; not to lose focus by thinking while the other person is talking about what you are going to say; ask questions to try to understand better; to encourage the other without disapproval; realize that not only what you believe is important.

Active listening is the way to develop empathy in the parent-child relationship - it is about learning and practicing communication skills (read communication guides and put into practice what you are learning; even find practical exercises that will help you develop empathy).

In the end, empathy means emphasizing emotions, not actions and words: for behind words and actions is emotion. Learning about empathy in the child's education and upbringing ensures an open, harmonious emotional relationship and gives the child feelings of comfort, balance, attachment, stability.

It gives him the conviction that he is valuable. It ensures a harmonious development - emotional, mental (an empathic and affective relationship reduces stress and anxiety), and cognitive (children with harmonious relationships in the family develop better intellectually).