Children Deserve Respect Too

Children Deserve Respect, Too

Remember this famous quote? "You have to give respect to get respect. "It's not often applied to the relationship between parents and children. Many parents believe that children should respect their parents, regardless of their treatment. However, healthy parent/child relationships include mutual respect. 

Results of Parenting Without Respect

When children feel disrespected by their parents, they do not feel comfortable discussing their thoughts, emotions, or problems with their parents leading to children making unhealthy and damaging decisions due to the lack of healthy guidance from their parents. Studies show parents who grow up with authoritarian parents (lack of nurturing, high expectations, and harsh discipline) are more likely to be aggressive toward others. These children also struggle with self-control and self-esteem, are shy and fearful in social situations, and experience symptoms of depression and anxiety. 

Disrespectful communication and behaviors towards children can be traumatic and lead to low self-esteem and poor communication resulting in the inability to resolve conflict. Parents teach their children how to treat themselves and others by modeling respectful communication and age-appropriate behavior. Parents' voices become their children's inner voices, so speaking respectfully and with empathy and love is essential. Remember that your children will call themselves the names that you call them. They love and trust you, so they believe what you say. 

How to Show Respect Towards Children

The first step to respecting your children is to listen. Allow your children to express themselves openly and give them your undivided attention. It is crucial to have good manners when interacting with your children by saying things like please and thank you. Highlight your children's strengths and good behavior, give grace when they make mistakes, and seek to understand their decisions. Speak assertively instead of aggressively, which means to be clear, direct, and stern without yelling. Use your hands to love instead of discipline. Avoid criticism and humiliation. Give your children the space to define themselves and explore the world with guidance. 

One of my biggest goals in parenting is not to create an environment that causes my children to heal from childhood into adulthood. This means applying the golden rule to my parenting strategies: Treat them the way I want. I strive to create a safe space for my children to express themselves RESPECTFULLY by modeling what respect looks like and correcting disrespectful behavior. We hope to foster and maintain healthy relationships with our children by creating this healthy environment. After all, children deserve respect, too. 

If you are interested in building strong relationships with your children through therapy, please remember it is never too late. To book a session for you or your child, feel free to contact Elite Therapy at 504-354-1296 for more information. We love you and want to see you win.