Building Respect

Show your child how to speak respectfully to adults, teachers

Children are not adults. Yet some children speak to their parents in a bossy and sarcastic way. They use a rude tone of voice. They tell instead of ask.

Here are tips to help your child learn to speak to adults in a respectful way:

• Teach your child. How do you want your child to talk to adults? Use role playing to show good and bad examples.
• Model. If you yell at people, then your child will yell, too.
• Use reminders. If your child uses a harsh tone of voice, or forgets to say “please,” wait for a minute. Then ask your child, “I beg your pardon?” or “Would you like to try that more respectfully?”
• Teach your child to use “I” messages. Instead of saying, “You forgot my lunch,” your child could say, “I’m worried because I don’t have my lunch.”

Reprinted with permission from the March 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Sarah Radcliffe, “Instilling Humility in Children,” Aish.com, www.aish.com/family/mensch/Instilling_Humility_in_Children.asp.