How To Raise A Respectful Child*

*This is a collaborative post*

 

Being respectful is a habit that needs nurturing, and children will often look to their parents for clues on how to behave toward others. It’s important to teach our children to always be respectful in their social interactions, and to also expect respect from others in return. If you want to raise a respectful child, here’s some tips that might help you from a senior school in Herefordshire. 

 

Demonstrate respectful behaviour

 

If you want your child to understand the importance of respect, the best thing you can do as a parent is model respectful behaviour and make sure your child sees this. It’s also important to give your child respect; you can do this by giving them your time and full attention. Make sure your interactions with people are always polite and teach your child the importance of listening fully to people and respecting their views and opinions, however much they differ from theirs. 

 

Basic manners

 

Part of being respectful is having basic manners, like saying please and thank you, and showing appreciation for things people do. The next time someone does something kind for your child, take the time to explain how important it is that they show their gratitude, perhaps by writing them a thank you note or doing something kind in return. Explain that good manners cost nothing, and make sure you reinforce this by being polite to your child. 

 

Encourage autonomy

 

Give your child opportunities to make decisions within the family, such as what meal to have one night or what activities to do at the weekend. Letting them have their say will teach them about tolerance and respecting the views and decisions of others as another way of being respectful. You should also explore compromise with them, so next time they want to do something which you can’t allow, work together to find some middle ground and explain why compromising is important. 

 

Dealing with conflict

 

During conflict, respect can often go out the window, so it’s a good idea to teach your child how to deal with it appropriately. Next time there’s a family argument, encourage everyone to sit down and discuss it calmly, rather than resorting to yelling or ignoring it. This teaches your child that conflict is inevitable at times, but it can be dealt with effectively through listening to each other’s views and hearing them out, even if you agree to respectfully disagree at the end. 

 

*Photo source

 

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