In the 2/5/08 edition of the Wallstreet Journal (frontpage I might add), there was an article titled "Empathy Lessons in School"...it caught my eye, so I kept reading......a Canadian nonprofit group called "Roots of Empathy", is now bringing to some U.S. school classrooms a program designed to reduce bullying by exposing students to "empathy babies" for a whole academic year. Apparently, the parents and their babies spend time in the classrooms crawling around (the babies that is) and allegedly the children will learn to recognize and talk about their feelings rather than act out aggressively when they observe the emotional connection between babies and their parents.

WHAT?!? You've got to be kidding me (no pun intended)! Aren't schools supposed to focus on academics and the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetics? YIKES! Now the teachers have to make time for drooling, pooping, crying babies! Am, I missing something here?

Oh well, apparently, "studies" involving more than 2,000 children over the past 7 years found a drop in aggressive behavior among the students who were in classrooms with "empathy babies", while there were typically increases in aggressive acts among comparison groups that didn't have this program. In one study, 88% of those children who displayed "proactive aggression" (sounds mucher nicer than "bullying", now doesn't it?) showed less aggressive behavior after taking the "Roots of Empathy" course.

Mmmmmmmm.........are you thinking what I'm thinking? I think that when staff, physicians, patients, visitors, and EVEN healthcare administrators (hehe) exhibit "proactive aggression" we should let loose the baby parade and let those "Empathy Babies" work their magic! :)