Teaching Your Children Sensitivity
Although the task of helping typically self-absorbed children become aware of the needs and feelings of others is daunting, sensitivity lies at the heart of those values and qualities responsible parents strive to develop in their offspring. The authors ofTeaching Your Children Values(1993) explore the concept of sensitivity to others and how to nurture it and propose a practical nine-month program of skills and awareness development. Progressing through understanding, observing, feeling, communicating, and doing, the Eyres provide practical advice, illustrative stories, parental approaches, and exercises for reinforcing those sensitivity skills. The fresh techniques they advocate, like writing poetry and playing detective, are to help children and their parents hone their abilities to be more honest about their own feelings, more aware of others'. The inspirational, interesting process the Eyres present will make being good more enjoyable for children and doing good more meaningful for adolescents.Kathryn Carpenter