How do you teach empathy and compassion to your kids? I basically teach the "golden rule" to my daughter, I'd love to hear your philosophies on this matter.

My thought is this:

These skills are usually learned by watching others over time. You show children how to be compassionate and empathetic to others by being compassionate and attentive to their needs and verbalizing your actions to them as a point of reference. Empathy is a bit harder b/c young children by nature lack the ability to feel for others outside of themselves. But when you teach them about sharing with others they begin to realize that their actions or lack thereof affects others positively or negatively.

Talking to children at a young age helps to put the points in their minds about compassion and empathy, but don't expect much in this field until they're much older. In order for children to express these concepts they must be developmentally and cognitively ready. Having compassion or empathy requires children to think beyond their own feelings which is really hard until they get to about 4th or 5th grade and begin interracting with others in their own social groups.

But, my philosophy is start at a young age by talking to them about cause and effect. For instance, when you do this - Sally feels like this. Children can understand more rudimentary concepts when they connect with how it feels to them first. When they know they like or don't like something - they can begin to understand how it will affect someone else through their own limited sense perception. Start this way and continue to reinforce it. You'll see small results that get bigger the older they get.

The most important thing with this is they must see their parents being the role models for compassion and empathy. If children don't see their parents having the ability to relate and feel for others they will have a hard time doing it.