As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play an important part in helping your teen develop empathy. Empathy is the way people effectively relate to one another. It’s the ability to perceive what other people are feeling, understand that information, and respond in a compassionate way. There are intentional ways to develop a healthy parent-teen relationship while growing your teen’s capacity for empathy from the time they are infants all the way through their teen years. Empathy is critical for your teen to experience healthy happy 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.