Respect - Consistency is the Key

One of the biggest challenges in building respect within the home is to be consistent. While my husband and I do make respect a priority in the way we raise our kids, it can be very easy to slip into other patterns when life gets busy and we feel tired and stressed. Most often, when we observe parents dropping the ball, it is most likely due to these reasons.

While finding enough time for sleep and learning to relieve stress are topics for another day, it is possible to continue on the path for respect even when life seems to be ganging up on you. And, chances are, if you implement some of these basic things, stress may lighten in the process.

One article that I came across on Teach-nology.com, “Respect – How to Teach it and How to Show It,” provides very basic tips on molding respectful kids. In fact, many of these things have been touted by parenting magazines for years, but rarely in association with respect.

This lack of association seems to have permeated throughout our current generations and as a result, we have lost sight of some of the core values that help to build strong character.

A Whole Family article explores this phenomenon and how certain attributes of different generations have led to a change in the way we raise our kids. This piece, “Teaching Children Respect in the Age of Equality,” highlights that teaching children respect is not in effort to build our ego, but rather to help mold individuals with character qualities that will sustain them throughout their lives.

Building this character through respect is not an easy task, but it is a possible one. Check back with us as we continue to explore methods for empowering and supporting each other in this important task.