All About Respect
Posted on April 14, 2008
Filed Under Life, Social Issues, Parenting, Dr. Dobson's Broadcast
When I moved from Wisconsin to Texas in the early 1980s, I found myself unaccustomed to a lot of things. Food, weather and the general approach to life seemed so different to this midwest boy. One thing that I liked: kids seemed to be more…respectful. I guess part of that was their propensity to address adults as “sir” or “ma’am.” Hadn’t really heard many children speak to me with a “Yes, sir” or “No, sir.” I rather liked that emphasis on being respectful of elders. Especially at the ripe old age of 23!
Unfortunately, it seems I’ve not done such a good job of instilling that verbal habit in my own kids. It isn’t that they are disrespectful, just that they haven’t been required/trained/taught by me to speak in such a manner. Notice I am not reflecting at all about my wife’s role in the home - she is a wonderful nurturer and has trained the kids so very well. This was my failure, not hers. I had an idea - to have my children learn this trait - and I didn’t follow through. I regret that, although now that I think of it, my oldest son does often refer to older adults in that way. Maybe I didn’t miss the mark altogether?
Appropriate speech is just one way we can help our kids learn to be more respectful. If you’d like to learn how to teach these and other age-appropriate ways of instilling respect in a child - without being obnoxious or overbearing about it - listen to this web-exclusive audio clip.
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John:
My kids (5 boys ages 6-20)are all required to answer with an appropriate yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am, or no ma’am when responding to any adult. I have insited on this since they were old enough to talk. If they forget, they are quickly repremanded. I feel this is a respectful way to speak to parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and any other adult. Another thing I do to keep them in line is to require a short haircut such as a miltary cut. I do not allow an unkept look. Respect for authority is very important.