Teaching Children Empathy
Sunday, November 30, 2008
There is no written rule that says children must be self-centered simply because they are children. In fact, now is the time to teach them how to care for others so they will grow into respectable, empathetic citizens of this country and of the world.The December issue of Reader's Digest features an article, Raising Kids Who Care, which highlights five ways to teach kids to think about others. Here are two:
Start them young: A mother from Darien, Connecticut got her 3 children involved in various volunteer organizations through Kids Care Clubs when her oldest was just 10 years old (now 20). They all took different paths, but they carried those lessons throughout their adolescence and are each still involved with volunteer work.
Involve their friends: A mother from Lake Oswego, Oregon attended a mother-daughter meeting of the National Charity League in an attempt to have more quality time with her two young children. The kids didn’t go willingly, but once they knew their friends were involved, they felt more comfortable. The eldest child, now 23, is in her second year with Teach for America. She remembers that her peer involvement from when she was younger made the experience fun and cool.
You can find the complete article online: http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/raising-kids-who-care/article104653.html
Labels: boys, girls, health, kids, teens, tips
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 11:35 PM,
