Last week, I paid a visit to my brother, where I had an encounter with his 7-year-old daughter, my niece. I couldn’t believe how much she had grown just these few years. I was thrilled to see her until I saw how disrespectful she was towards the mother.
For a child her age to roll her eyes at her mother was something that really baffled me a lot.
I have noticed this sort of attitude from kids towards their parents is becoming a norm nowadays where most children lack respect even towards elders.
This encounter made me decide to tackle this pressing problem of disrespect on the part of children.
In this article, we will be looking at how parents should teach their children how to respect.
Though I am no expert in parenting, I have gathered some helpful information from the experts and, through research, to put this together.
To help bring better meaning to this write-up, it will be necessary to first look at what causes a child to be disrespectful.
Causes of disrespectfulness in children
Abuse;
If your child has any history of abuse from home or school, it is likely to be a cause of his disrespect.
Most of this abuse comes in the form of punishment from the parents to the child if he does something wrong whiles in school; it could be linked to bullying.
Peer pressure;
Parents must watch the friends their children hang out with because of things like this.
Since kids are influenced by what they see, it will be easy for their friends to copy this negative character from their friends.
Over pampering;
This goes to the parents. I know it is not bad for parents to provide for their children whatever they ask, but overdoing it too can lead to the child becoming a spoilt child.
A study showed that most kids who come from homes where they are treated like demigods often have this rude character.
These children become very disrespectful when the parent reaches a point where he cannot meet their demands.
Lack of space;
When children reach the adolescent stage in their lives, they mostly want to have some space and have little independence. Their inability to get that freedom they have been yearning for can make them change their character for the worse, where most of them don’t care about showing being respectful.
Benefits of being respectful
It helps make better decisions;
Studies show that respectful kids make better decisions in life. They are less likely to succumb to peer pressure which could influence them to make bad decisions like doing drugs, stealing, or involving themselves in sexual activities at a young age.
Helps build better relationships;
Being courteous has several advantages, one of which is that it aids in developing positive relationships with others. Because practically everyone prefers to hang out with well-behaved and considerate people, you are more likely to meet new people with whom you can form long-term relationships.
It creates more opportunity;
Because no one wants to be around rude or disrespectful people, being someone who respects others can help you gain the trust of a large number of people.
Because of your good character, you will be the first person contacted whenever there is an excellent opportunity that will significantly benefit you.
Since we’ve seen some of the great benefits of being respectful, I think every parent will be interested in finding out some of the best tips to help teach their children to be respectful.
Tips to teach kids how to respect.
Teach by showing;
As the saying goes, the best way to teach something is to show it, and respect is no exception.
No child will know what is right or wrong in this world unless we teach them.
It is the responsibility of the parent to do so.
This is to say, anywhere you find yourself, make it a habit of showing respect to everyone, young or old. By doing this, our kids also learn from us unconsciously.
Discipline disrespect;
Parents must also not let their children go scot-free when they see them being disrespectful towards someone.
Some of these kids are unaware of their actions, so they don’t know if what they are doing is wrong or not.
The parent stepping in to discipline them will send a signal to the child for him to know that what he did was wrong, and that was why he was scolded.
So anytime that same behavior crosses his mind, he will be reminded of the scolding he got the last time and act accordingly.
Explain how respect feels;
Using a simple scenario that your child can understand easily, explain to him how being addressed with respect makes a person feels and how the feeling is when disrespected.
With that scenario in mind, ask your child which will he prefer, being respectful or disrespectful.
And that should be enough lesson for him to always do the right thing.
Discipline
Discipline does not mean to be harsh or punitive. In fact, the definition of discipline; means training people to obey rules.
So how are you teaching your child? Are you training him to respect, or you are just the permissive type of parent?
Numerous studies agree that positive discipline can help a child be very respectful.
This is by being firm and kind at the same time when setting strict boundaries for your kids on why it is a must to be respectful.
Praise respectful behaviors;
Always praise your child if you have come across him being respectful to people. Let them know you are pleased with what they did, and don’t be shy to show that happiness in your actions.
Once they see that you are pleased with what they’ve done, they will be encouraged to continue being respectful.
I hope this write-up of mine goes a long way in helping you teach your child how to respect, which will greatly benefit him and the society in which he may find himself.
Thanks for reading.
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