Children are naturally egocentric—not from malice, but from developmental stage. Teaching empathy is not lecturing about feelings but modeling the habit of pausing to imagine another's experience. When a parent says, 'How would you feel if someone did that to you?' they are echoing Confucius' core teaching. But the lesson is most powerful when parents apply it to themselves first: before snapping at a child, before dismissing their fear, before rushing past their story, pause and ask, 'Would I want to be treated this way?' Empathy practiced at home becomes empathy practiced everywhere.