“Empathy is the foundation of parenting.

It is watching our child’s frustration and focusing on how life feels in the little child’s body, while putting our own
frustration and agenda into the background.”

As the father of a three-year-old son, living in these bleak times of Covid, I can tell you that it's easier said than done. Nowadays, living in nuclear families with
both parents working long hours, it makes it hard to balance professional work, private life-goals and household chores with the critical job of raising a child.
With such frantic schedules, it's almost impossible to always push the frustration and agenda into the background. Empathy alone does not work; it has to be
combined with assertiveness. After extensive research and first-hand experience, I discovered that the key to responsible parenting is to strike a balance
between empathy and assertiveness.

There is no denying that empathy is absolutely critical. If parents are not sensitive to their children's emotions, it can result in a great deal of emotional
trauma for the child. As parents, we must be mindful of our actions because children learn primarily by mimicking the actions of their elders. A child's
emotional needs are entirely dependent on his parents, and when these needs are not met, it can lead to apathy, aggression, and a fragile sense of self.
According to research, such children have significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicide when they reach adulthood.

To be more empathetic as parents, we must ask the following three questions in any difficult situation with our children:

1. What is going on in your child's mind?

It's about attempting to understand how he feels. Taking note of all verbal and nonverbal cues that may be causing the child to feel this way.

2. When in my life have, I experienced this emotion?

It is not only attempting to recognise what is going on in our child's head, but also imagining ourselves in that situation using our previous experiences.

3. What might be most beneficial advice to me when I was experiencing this emotion?

It is about recalling the last time we were chastised, humiliated, or treated unfairly. Did it compel us to cooperate? No, it does not. So, it comes down to
taking compassionate action. It is about being compassionate, forgiving, and loving.
As a new parent