MMP04: Walking in your child’s shoes

In this episode, I talk about one of the most powerful things you can do to help your kid through a hard moment; the skill of walking in their shoes to empathetically convey that you understand your child’s perspective.  This tool discussed in today’s conversation will help you to immediately improve the conversations in your home with your threenagers and your teenagers.

Perspective taking is a form of empathy. I like to call it: Walking in your child’s shoes.

When you imagine walking in someone else’s shoes and then discuss a situation from that place, it is very connecting for you and your child. Your child will feel really seen and valued when you communicate that you get what it truly feels like to walk in their shoes.

In life when we are trying to have a productive convo with our kids, it’s important to see the other person’s perspective before  we even begin the conversation. We typically start a conversation by trying to convince the other person why they should see our perspective. This never works.

The opposite, describing the situation from the perspective of walking in their shoes, is what helps us to communicate productively and find a peaceful resolution. When we see other people’s perspectives, they are then inclined to see ours as well.

Topics covered:

• Empathy
• Perspective Taking
• Dan Pink quote: Daniel H. Pink Quotes. Empathy is about standing in someone else's shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.
• The brain and the emotional center development https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-psychology/chapter/structure-and-function-of-the-brain/

 

 

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