# #1 Secret To Parenting - The Most Important Of All Parenting Hacks | Dad University

**Creator:** Dad University
**Platform:** youtube
**Duration:** 4m
**Source:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA

## Summary

The video emphasizes the importance of empathy in parenting, highlighting it as the most impactful technique for building strong relationships with children. Jason Kreitman explains that understanding and validating a child's feelings can lead to better communication and trust.

- Empathy involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes and understanding their feelings.
- Men often struggle with empathy due to societal stereotypes and lack of practice.
- Responding empathetically to a child's frustrations can prevent misunderstandings and strengthen bonds.
- Examples illustrate how empathetic responses differ from non-empathetic ones, showing the importance of validation.
- Acknowledging a child's feelings, no matter how trivial they may seem to an adult, is crucial.
- Empathy can enhance relationships not only with children but also with partners and friends.
- Practicing empathy leads to better interactions and a more supportive environment.

## Transcript

[[0:00]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=0s)
so I often get asked what's the most impactful biggest thing that we can do as a parent now there's a lot of things that can impact your children but I'm going to share with you the single most important thing that you can do hey guys I'm Jason Kreitman and welcome to

[[0:31]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=31s)
another week of dad University we create videos each week to help dads with what they didn't learn in school so please subscribe to our channel so that you don't miss any of these videos for today's video we're talking about the single most important parenting technique you can do it's called empathy so what exactly is empathy and what does it have to do with parenting in its simplest form empathy is putting yourself in somebody else's shoes it's

[[1:03]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=63s)
understanding and feeling what somebody else is experiencing unfortunately typically us guys aren't that good with empathy whether it be because we've never learned about it or how effective it is or we just simply make the choice not to be empathetic men as a stereotype typically think more than we feel and to be truly empathetic you need to really feel what the other person is feeling and as a dad there are countless moments in which empathy will save you from

[[1:34]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=94s)
headaches and create a stronger relationship with your child let me give you some examples your five-year-old can't find his shoes in the morning before school and he's crying and freaking out here's a typical non empathetic response from dad you can't find your shoes are you kidding me you just had them yesterday why can't you ever find your shoes now here's a response with empathy oh man I can see you're really upset about your shoes and

[[2:06]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=126s)
it's pretty difficult not to be able to find them that's frustrating and then maybe you're helpful while not being able to find you shoes is pretty trivial to an adult hey we would just solve it by finding another pair of shoes to a five-year-old this could be a big deal and devastating we need to take a look at the situation from the child's point of view to them it's a really big deal so we need to

[[2:31]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=151s)
acknowledge that and acknowledge their feelings here's another example your 12 year old daughter plays competitive basketball she just lost her game and she also missed a couple plays so she's really mad at herself as well here's the non empathetic response it's okay you'll get him next time you've got 12 more games this season you just maybe need to practice more so now here's the empathetic response losing isn't fun I know it's really hard to put a lot of

[[3:02]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=182s)
effort into something and then not come out on top I'm really sorry this is bothering you we all want our feelings validated not negated or ignored if you really hurt yourself and someone came up to you and said oh you're good there's no blood go ahead go go back in would that help you if you came home from work and told your wife something that was really frustrating and her response was oh don't worry about that it's if that's

[[3:30]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=210s)
not a big deal would that make you feel better when you feel that somebody understands you and is really listening it brings you closer to them it builds trust and a stronger relationship so go out there and deploy empathy with your kids heck try it with your wife your friends anyone you'll probably find that you'll get along with people better well that's all we have for today be sure to give this video a thumbs up subscribe to our

[[3:59]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-TO6i2HHBA&t=239s)
Channel and share this video with your friends and family we make new videos every week we'll see you next time you