Respect means different things to different people, but most of us agree that it’s an important lesson to teach our kids. We want our kids to grow up to be respectful adults, and we also want them to know that they should expect to be treated with respect.
If you want to know how to teach kids to be respectful, we’ll show you. Find out what it is, how to explain it to your child, why a child might be disrespectful, and what to do about it when they are.
What Is Respect?
Respect isn’t just how we think about other people; it’s also how we act toward them.
Respect means treating other people the way you want to be treated and taking into account what other people think and feel. It also means being polite, but how do we explain that to our kids in a way they can understand?
How to Explain Respect to Children
Respect is a hard idea for a child to understand, so you’ll need to use words and examples that they can grasp.
Start by saying that respect is a feeling, that you can respect someone. Then you can say that if you respect someone, you want to treat them with respect and kindness. Lastly, tell them that the best way to show respect is to treat others the way you want to be treated.
Then you can explain that what you say and do can show respect or lack of respect. Tell your child that disrespecting someone can make them feel bad. Depending on their age, you can ask them to think about a time when they were treated badly and how it made them feel.
Most of the time, these things don’t last long and don’t show a change in behavior as a whole.
Your Child Isn’t Thinking
Sometimes, when your child is distracted or really into something, he or she may act disrespectfully without meaning to. This doesn’t mean that your child is trying to be rude or has forgotten the good things you’ve taught them. Instead, it could mean that your child has trouble dividing their attention.
Sometimes, you have to pay attention to be respectful. Your child’s disrespect is more likely to be unintentional the younger they are.
Your Kid Is Taking After You
When your child acts disrespectfully, it’s sometimes because they are copying how you act. If your child doesn’t respect other people or their thoughts and feelings, think about if you do the same thing.
This is especially true if you have a habit of talking over your child when they are trying to say something or if you don’t pay any attention to how your child feels.
Your child is doing what other kids do
As our kids get older, the way their friends act starts to affect how they act. Your child may be rude because he or she hangs out with kids whose families have different rules than yours.
This is not just a possibility for friends. Your child might change if they see relatives who have different ideas about respect. After staying with older relatives who may have different rules about language and behavior, many parents find that their child acts rudely toward other people.
Maybe these new people in their lives aren’t real either. They might be copying bad behavior they see in a cartoon or a show they like to watch on TV.
Your Child Is In A New Situation
You might teach your child that everyone should be treated with respect, but when they are in a new situation, they might forget what you taught them.
Your Child Is Going Through A Significant Life Change
When a child is going through a big change, it is common for their parents to notice a change in how they act in general. Your child might have started going to daycare or kindergarten, or you might have moved. Even if you think these changes are good, your child might not be able to handle them well.
Also, a child whose life has changed in a bad way, like when a grandparent or other much-loved family member dies, may sometimes be rude. This doesn’t mean they’ve changed; it’s just a sign that your child is having a hard time.
