Respect is an essential component of communication and correction in the home. Read more about how respect is one of the seven essential traits of parenting.
My family was standing in line for the old-time roller coaster at Elitch Gardens in Denver. We were next in line, and as a group near us exited their car, a boy forgot his hat in the cubby where people leave their belongings so that they don’t come flying out during the ride. He ran back to get it, and by accident, he cut sharply in front of an adult. When the boy got back near his family, his father slapped him upside the head. I was saddened by the scene. Perhaps this father was trying to teach his son the importance of respecting strangers, but it sure seemed like a disrespectful—and ineffective—way to teach that lesson. Respect breeds respect, and disrespect breeds disrespect.
Related Content: Take our free 7 Traits of Effective Parenting Assessment to see where you rank in the area of respect.
Respect is an essential component of communication and correction in the home. Parents are required to have many types of interactions with their kids. We teach them and discipline them. We remind them of family expectations, and of how God’s direction might influence a decision. Wise parents treat their children respectfully in all of these situations. This builds a child’s sense of value. And it’s an important part of how children learn how to respect others—especially their parents.
Kids raised in respectful environments learn these important traits:
In respectful homes, kids better learn to forgive and accept forgiveness. Everyone messes up and needs a do-over, parents included, and a respectful family atmosphere creates the workings for humility and grace.
Children who are taught respect learn that people are important. They began to think of others instead of just themselves, and they are often more genuine in their care for others.
A respectful family environment teaches kids to focus their attention and listen to others—to recognize that what other people have to say is important. They learn to wait for their turn and not insist on always having their own way.
When children understand the significance of respecting others’ possessions and time, they learn to take care for what is someone else’s and what is their own.
A respectful home helps build trust among family members, the foundation of love. Respectfulness will create true character, which is how we behave when no one else is watching. Trust helps create a natural flow of empathy, compassion and kindness toward each other in the home.
Dr. Daniel Huerta is Vice President of Parenting and Youth for Focus on the Family, overseeing the ministry’s initiatives that equip moms and dads with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children rooted in a thriving faith.
He is a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker, and the author of 7 Traits of Effective Parenting. For many years, he has provided families with practical, biblically-based and research-based parenting advice on topics including media discernment, discipline, communication, mental health issues, conflict resolution, and healthy sexuality in the home. He is passionate about coming alongside parents as they raise contributors, instead of consumers, in a culture desperately in need of God’s kingdom.
Dr. Huerta has been interviewed by various media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, and CBN, and he is a frequent guest on Christian radio stations across the nation. He’s also written for publications, including The Washington Post, on various topics related to marriage and parenting. He participated in the development of Focus on the Family’s Launch Into the Teen Years, a resource to help parents prepare their kids for adolescence, and he speaks regularly at retreats, conventions, and online events.
Dr. Huerta has maintained a private practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado since 2003 and has served families through Focus on the Family since 2004. He and his wife, Heather, have been married since 1997 and love being parents to their three teen children, Alex, Lexi, and Maci.
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