As a parent or those in a parenting role, you play a key role in supporting your teen to develop empathy. Empathy is the way people effectively relate to one another. It’s the ability to notice what other people are feeling, process that information, and respond in a compassionate manner. There are intentional ways to nurture a healthy parent-teen relationship while building your teen’s capacity for empathy from the time they are born all the way through their teen years. Empathy is necessary for your teen to experience happy healthy relationships. It allows for emotional connection to others beginning early with family and friends and extends as they develop successful social, school, work, and even romantic relationships.