Self‐compassion is an adaptive way of self‐relating that entails tending to one’s emotional pain with understanding and care. In this article, we propose an intergenerational model explaining how self‐compassion develops in the context of the parent–child relationship. Specifically, we posit that parents who have had supportive experiences with their own childhood caregivers develop a secure attachment and a high level of self‐compassion. In turn, we propose that high self‐compassion in parents promotes parents’ capacity to support children when they experience difficult emotions (e.g., anger, sadness). These responses promote the child’s secure attachment, high self‐compassion development, and positive behavioral outcomes. A key area for future research is examining the potential link between parent self‐compassion and responses to difficult emotions in the child. Given that self‐compassion can be enhanced through intervention, support for this model will have broad implications for interrupting intergenerational cycles of dysfunction caused by insecure attachment.