Did you have anyone with whom you had meaningful contact while young (a teacher, a neighbor, a relative, a sitter, etc.) that may have fostered empathy in you? I have read that can be a saving grace for kids in homes where empathy is not there to be learned. My own mom was abused and dissociative/fractured, while my dad was abusive. I did have a sitter who made a huge difference to me. Now she is my mom's best friend (After my dad left my mom, unfortunately this was when I had already grown up, my mom became so much more stabilized.).
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Originally Posted by *Anya*
I read somewhere that for children to learn empathy, parents need to model it but also to teach it.
Encouraging your children to put themselves in another's shoes, to imagine how they would feel if something happened to them in the same way.
Conversely, I grew up in an emotionally and physically abusive home but always could put myself in the shoes of another and have no idea how that happened. My parents never taught it or modeled it.
Perhaps some are born more sensitive and empathetic.
Another variation on the nature vs. nurture conundrum?
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