R-E-S-P-E-C-T is the old Aretha Franklin song and it’s something parents consider an important trait to teach their children. If you’re like many parents, you may be finding that teaching it isn’t as easy as you thought it would be. You may be wondering how to raise a respectful child; following these ideas may help you in that endeavor.
It’s often been said that if you want to get something, you often have to give something first. This follows true for respect as well as many other things in life. Starting to teach respect at a young age will be much easier than waiting until they’re older and already set in their disrespectful ways.
If you want your children to treat you and others with respect, they have to see it modeled before them. If you’re disrespectful to them or to other people you come in contact with on a daily basis, the child won’t think respect is important.
Teach your children how to be polite by saying “please,” “thank you,” “yes ma’am,” and “no sir” when you ask them to do something or when you answer them. If you use these words, they’ll probably pick them up and repeat them, even as small children.
How you react when you correct them when they don’t say “please” or “thank you” will also play a large part in how well they learn. Do you gently remind them that your family uses polite words, or do you berate them for forgetting? Gentle reminders are far more respectful than yelling.
Families will have disagreements periodically; how you handle them can be a way to treat respect. Try to keep a calm demeanor when talking with your child if they disagree with you. Listen to what they have to say and let them explain their reasoning behind their feelings. This shows more than respect to your child; it also shows them that their opinions are important even if you and your partner don’t agree with them. Lovingly tell them what you expect from them and why, but always leave the door open for further discussion about the subject at a future date.
Be sure to praise your children when they’re respectful to you and others. This is particularly effective if you can praise them in front of others. Be specific in your praise – “I really appreciate your being respectful to Mr. Smith when he asked you that question” is much more specific than saying “good job” when you hear them being respectful.
Basically, learning how to raise a respectful child boils down to this: treat your children with respect and they will learn to treat others with respect. It has often been said that more is caught than taught in regard to children. Let them catch you being respectful and see the benefits of it, and you might catch them doing the same thing.