As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play a critical role in supporting your teen to develop empathy. Empathy is the way that people effectively relate to each other. It’s the ability to perceive what others are feeling, process that information, and respond in a compassionate way. There are intentional ways to foster 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. It begins early with family and friends and extends as they develop into successful school, work, social, and even romantic relationships.