empathy Archives - Character Ink

52 Weeks of Talking to Our Kids: When You Want to Teach Empathy

by Donna | Aug 2, 2016

I prayed for you today, though I didn’t know your name,
I saw a hurting look, so I had to stop and pray.
I prayed for you today, when I saw you on the street,
Playing on your trumpet, for everyone you meet.

That is the first verse of a song I wrote that we sang together as a family during family worship and in the van driving (especially on trips). It was our empathy song—the song that reminded us to try to put ourselves in others’ shoes and understand how they are feeling.

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Two Tips for Teaching Empathy and Humility to Our Children

by Donna | Sep 18, 2015

How many times have we heard “It isn’t my fault”?

Or “He did it first”?

Or “I only did that because he did this to me…”?

While some of that will always be a part of raising more than one child in a home, as parents our focus should be on getting the whole “never my fault” mentality out of our children by the time they are grown. And replace it with responsibility for actions, empathy towards those they might hurt, and humility in admitting guilt. (more…)