Fed Up with Disrespectful Parents, Part 3

My previous 2 posts were about ways that parents disrepect their children.  This post is about:

What Parents Should Do Instead


Always tell the truth to your children, please. If you want to have a good relationship, you must tell the truth, just as in any adult relationship. You child will not trust you, and won't tell you the truth, if you don't tell the truth with him. You don't have to go into details that are inappropriate for the child's age, but still find something truthful to say.

Secondly, please respect your child as you would an adult. Validate their feelings.  Listen to what they have to say.  Don't ever make fun of them, mock them, or ridicule them. It's okay for them to feel what they feel. If you are upset about something, the last thing you would want is for someone to tell you that you're overeacting or that your feelings are stupid. So don't do it to your kids.

Don't expect your child to respect you simply because you're an adult. If you want your child to repect you, you must first respect him. You are the model for him to follow. You must act as you want your child to act. If you don't respect him, your child will quickly become frustrated, resentful and/or suffer from low self-esteem, and parenting will become much more difficult.

Okay, I'm done talking about bad parents.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.  Tomorrow there will be a new topic.