Today we will be talking about how to teach kids to interact with someone who has an illness or an injury. First, we must understand the power of empathy. Remember this previous post with Brene Brown’s explanation on what empathy is? She explains empathy as feeling the connection with someone. In other words, empathy is the ability to be compassionate, sensitive, and understanding of the other person’s feelings. Psych Central has a great article that lists what to say or what not to say to someone who is ill or injured. Here are examples of what not to say:
- “Everything happens for a reason.”
- “I know how you feel.”
- “Just look on the bright side…”
Instead, practice saying these empathetic statements with your child so that they can learn how to express empathy towards their ill or injured friend:
- “I’m sorry this happened to you.”
- “I can’t imagine what you are feeling right now.”
- “Tell me how I can help you.”
For more tips on how to speak with empathy, visit https://medium.com/@lauraclick/31-empathetic-statements-for-when-you-dont-know-what-to-say-edd50822c96a.
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