This is the most important lesson you can teach your kid

“Maybe it sounds mercenary, but having empathy isn’t just good for its own sake, or for the sake of meaningful connection. It helps you get more of what you want and have more fun doing it. If you understand others and are emotionally intelligent, you’ll be able to anticipate what others need—and what they want.”

“Forget about being nice; being a jerk is a waste of resources that could be spent elsewhere. When you have empathy, it’s like cutting through the mess and getting straight to what drives 99.9 percent of most people: a need to be understood, valued and loved.”

Dawson quotes Michele Borba, author of the new book UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed In Our All-About-Me World.

“[Empathy], the trait that allows us to feel with others, has the reputation of being ‘touchy-feely,’ but new research reveals that empathy is far from ‘soft,’ and it plays a surprising role in predicting kids’ happiness and success. The problem is that empathy is widely underestimated by moms and dads, as well as the general public, so it’s low on most child-rearing agendas.”

But Borga cautions that in this social media selfie age “self-absorption kills empathy.”

Source: New York Post 06/18/2016