As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play an essential role in helping your teen develop empathy. Empathy is the way people effectively relate to one another. It’s the ability to perceive what others are feeling, process that information, and respond in a compassionate manner. There are intentional ways to grow a healthy parent-teen relationship while growing your teen’s capacity for empathy from the time they are born all the way through their teen years. Empathy is essential for your teen to experience happy healthy relationships because it allows for emotional connection to others beginning early with family and friends and extending as they develop into successful school, work, social, and romantic relationships.