One of your key responsibilities as a parent is to raise a child who is polite and respectful towards others. No-one likes to think of their child being cheeky or disregarding the rules, but this can certainly happen without the right guidance. I have teamed up with a senior school in the West Midlands to share some advice on how you can raise a respectful child.
Be a Good Role Model
Teaching your child various life lessons always comes down to your own disposition. For instance, if you want your child to learn that swearing is bad and you swear a lot yourself, the lesson won’t resonate with them. The same applies to being respectful. If you yell at the customer service advisor on the phone, your child will think this is an acceptable way to speak to people. If you don’t remember to say please and thank you, your child won’t remember either. Essentially, the trick is to be a good role model and demonstrate the behaviour you’d like to see reflected in your child.
Encourage Healthy Discussions
While you don’t want to argue with your family all the time, it is important that your children know that its ok for them to have an opinion, and its ok if those opinions are different from others. They need to learn to respect that everyone has different views but shouldn’t be treated any different because of that. Teach them that even when there is a strong disagreement between two people, a level of respect should always be maintained.
Stick to Your Word
Your child won’t respect you or the rules you try to enforce if you don’t stick to your word. For example, if you tell your child that they will lose their privileges if they don’t tidy their bedroom, make sure you follow through. By sticking to your word, your child will be less inclined to push your buttons and test their boundaries.
Explore Other Walks of Life
Talk to your child about the way different people live, not only locally but all over the world. Explain that people have different beliefs and viewpoints but shouldn’t be treated any differently. You should also talk to your child about those less fortunate so that they learn to empathise and be compassionate towards others, which falls under the respect umbrella.
Laura. x