Monday, April 16

New Post Up At GNMParents

They haven't told me to hit the road quite yet...so here's this week's post.

Parental Empathy: Can You Mix Tough With Tender?

5 comments:

Stu said...

JM, I dig your stuff, so don't fret. :-)

Lawyer Mama said...

I loved the article. Great topic.

Elizabeth said...

I think the reason children are less empathetic today is because the typical American family size has shrunk. At the same time, the typical American house has at least doubled in size.

Children learn empathy by constantly interacting with their siblings. There is nothing that can replace the daily struggle of working out differences, solving problems, and yet, loving each other through it all.

If children are not empathetic today, it is not because they are not receiving validation. It is because they have been giving TOO much validation!! They have their own rooms, their own TVs, their own iPods and cell phones. They are allowed to create their own private identity apart from and independent of their family.

No wonder so many kids think the world is all about them! Their parents taught them that!

Some of the most empathetic, loving, understanding children that I have ever been blessed to know came from large families.

JudesMommy said...

Lawyer Mama- Thank you!

Elizabeth- That's a very good point. And Ben, being from a family of 8 kids would be the first one to give you a rah rah! Kids do have too much stuff today, for sure. I think it's difficult to develop true appreciation when one is handed everything. It's something I've tried to be cognizant of since Jude was born. I want to be able to instill good values and a work ethic into him that will serve him well in life.

It's the "how to" that seems to be the on the job training for moms!

PunditMom said...

That was a wonderful post! Congrats on the gig!