It is amazing how honest some children are. I have had three children that I have coached recently who have said that they need to respect parents more. I did not ask them directly if they respected their parents. I asked them if there was anything they would change about themselves and this was their answer. I was amazed! We talked about what other ways they felt they could respect parents more and this was their list.
Children Thought They Could Respect Parents More By..
- Listening to their parents more
- Doing what their parents say/ask the first time without arguing or talking back
- Being more polite to them in general conversation and use nice language
- Always saying please and thank you to their parents when they did something for them
This is a fairly short list but something they felt they were not doing enough of and thought they could do. It was good to see that they were aware of their behaviour, even if they don’t always act on it!
Recognising how children could show respect is a good start. Try and talk to your children about respect. Ask them what it means, how we show it and what it means to disrespect someone. How would they feel if somebody didn’t respect them? Family life is much more enjoyable when we all respect each other. If children never consider their parents wishes it will lead to disagreements, stress and bad feeling.
Respect comes in many different forms including those listed above. Is there anything else you would do to get your children to respect parents more? Respect is a two way street. Parents should respect their children and other people too so they model the type of behaviour they would want to see in their children. Children will then copy what they see.
For more insights into helping your children pick up a copy of The Parent’s Toolkit.
