This is What it Feels Like to Raise an Empath

She asks me why a baby is sad, every time she sees one cry.

She runs over to a boy at the park who fell down, because she wants to make sure that little Johnny is OK.

She follows her BABY SISTER around with a pacifier because she wants to be able to soothe her when she cries.

She asks if I am OK when I bump my arm or stub my toe.

She is the first to put others first.

This is my life with an empath.

My daughter is an empath. An ultra-sweet, ultra-sensitive, caring and warm, empath.

She feels all the feels and there is no stopping her.  Her empathic ways pour out of her and she has feelings that almost seem impossible for a child her age.  And as a mother, I am so grateful to be RAISING A CHILD who really cares about others. And while her unbelievable altruistic ways and her beautiful kindness make me so proud, there is also a very dark side to raising an empath.

Raising an empath means that we are never the life of the party. 

Because an empath has to stop, watch, observe, and feel, before any sort of action takes place.  So we spend a lot of time on the sidelines of things, never fully jumping in.

Raising an empath means I have to be incredibly mindful of things like the type of environment we are in or what’s on TV or what book we are reading.  An empath can be so sensitive to others’ feelings and emotions that sometimes certain shows or books are off limits.  My daughter feels what the characters feel and sometimes even that’s too much for her.

Raising an empath means that I need to be aware of my own feelings as I know they will affect her. 

Because when I’m sad, she feels my sadness. And when I am stressed, she feels that too.  There is not one feeling that escapes my empath.  So raising an empath means always keeping my own feelings in check, which requires an endless amount of energy and awareness.

Raising an empath means I have to sometimes watch my sweet, kind girl get taken advantage of because of her endless giving and caring ways.  Some children mistake her empathy as an invitation to walk all over her.  And even worse, raising an empath means sometimes watching them abide.

Raising an empath means I have a drained child at the end of each and every day. 

Because truly feeling what another is feeling all day long is exhausting.  Constantly putting others first and never being able to turn off your emotions is tiring.  And so every day we end our day with a child who is depleted.  This is what happens when you raise an empath.

Raising an empath means we miss out on a lot.  An empath needs to recharge their batteries, have alone time, and take breaks.  So for us, there are no endless parties, no late nights, and no ultra-crazy activities, because it’s all just too much for my little empath.

Raising an empath is down-right hard-work.

And just when I think I would rather have a happy-go-lucky wild child, I see my little empath help an isolated classmate who is being bullied at school.  I see her deep interest in community service and volunteerism to help others less fortunate than her.  I see her pour her heart and soul into making sure everyone around her feels better.  And after I am done raising my little empath, I know she will make THE BEST FRIEND, the best partner, and the best mother, anyone would ever want.

So even though it can be draining to raise an ultra-kind, ultra-warm, ultra-sensitive empath, I hope my child never stops feeling what others are feeling. Because the world needs more people like her.

There is nothing like a shared experience with another human-being and I am so proud to be raising a child who has the gift of feeling.