RESPECT

1 downloads 184 Views 694KB Size Report
disrespect, be sure to discuss it. Ask your child what s/he thought of what s/he saw and reiterate your family values an
DECEMBER 2017

DEAR DR. ROBYN

RESPECT Young students: “I treat you and me like we matter!” Older students/teens/adults: Behaving in ways that show that we are all worthy of care, attention & consideration.

Dear Dr. Robyn, I have noticed that some of my kids’ friends are pretty rude to their parents and cold to their “friends.” My daughter has said that some kids won’t let her play with them at recess and my son has told me some kids won’t let him sit with them on the bus. It’s very cliquey. I worry about this. How can I teach respect when they aren’t seeing respect?

-Nancy M., Connecticut

Dear Nancy M,

motivate respect in your lives:

I get it. We seem to be seeing more selfishness and less kindness and respect in recent years. With more media that glorifies negative interactions, an increase in anonymous and callous communication online and additional pressure to achieve academic success over becoming a kind person, respect can get lost.

(1) Make your expectations clear: You want respectful, kind kids? Make sure your children have heard about your values and expectations clearly and consistently. What do you want to see? How do you want your children to act? Emphasize the actions you hope to see.

Is it just a hunch that something’s wrong? No. Many studies tell us that children’s moral character has declined. The majority of parents believe that children are learning to be less kind and respectful and many adults say moral values are “getting worse.” Empathy is waning, narcissism in increasing (See UnSelfie for more on this). But it doesn’t have to be this way-- as parents and key adults in children’s lives, we can inspire kids to be more respectful. Here are some ways to highlight and

(2) Praise respect: We often get in the mindset of praising grades over moral judgment and respect. Be sure to praise both parts of the report card- the academic achievements as well as your child’s moral development. When you see unprompted respect in action- be sure to take a moment to recognize it! (3) Don’t excuse disrespect: When we say things like; “boys will be boys” or “girls are just into drama,” we excuse the disrespect between kids that can be hurtful and rude. When you see

For more Powerful parenting information, go to www.DrRobynSilverman.com. © 2017 Powerful Words Character Development