Respect Must Start at Home

The idea of respect is an interesting one as it is something that we will often try and demand without ever considering our role in a situation. Yes, I expect my children to respect me, but what role do I play in the parent/child relationship that dictates that this respect will be demonstrated?

I came across an interesting piece on the Family Education website entitled, “Respect Your Children and Yourself.” While I don’t necessarily agree with every word of this article, I do appreciate the approach that it takes in arguing that children will learn from example. If we do not respect ourselves, can we expect our children to respect us?

No matter what the situation, I would never support a child disrespecting his or her mother. Yet it happens time and again. Unfortunately, the mother often allows it to happen, even when she deserves so much better. What always appears to be consistent in these situations is that the woman does not respect herself enough to demand it from her children.

While you may wonder how I could so easily determine whether or not a woman respects herself, it really does not take any special training to observe this phenomenon. Look at any female at work, school, the grocery store, etc. Does she walk with her head up or down? Does she carry herself with purpose or is she just moving through the motions? How is she interacting with others, if she is interacting at all?

Believe it or not, the things that we don’t say communicate so much more about us than we ever care to realize. And until we respect ourselves enough to show the world with our actions, we will struggle to get it from those who live in our own homes.