Black Belt Principle - RESPECT

This is the first in a series of six blog posts on our Black Belt Principles - RESPECT

Respect. We talk about it. We expect it. From our children. Our coworkers. Our bosses. The guy in the carpool lane next to us. But what does it mean? How do we show it to the people we know and love and to total strangers?

Respect: a relation to or concern with something specified; an act of giving particular attention; consideration.

That’s the official definition, but what does it mean and how do we show respect in our every day lives? Respect is an attitude. Respect is an action. Respect is how you treat people. People you know and people you don’t. Being respectful helps you succeed in life. If you don’t have respect for authority, your peers or even respect for yourself, it is almost impossible to succeed.

Our children may learn respect from schools, but we as parents have the most influence on how respectful our children grow to be. Until children show respect at home, it is unlikely they will show it anywhere else. What are some ways we can show respect to our children and in turn teach them how to respect others?

Be Honest - If you do something wrong, admit it and apologize.

Be Positive - Don’t embarrass, insult or make fun of your child.

Be Trusting - Let your child make age appropriate choices and take responsibility for themselves.

Be Fair - Listen to your child’s side of the story before jumping to conclusions.

Be Polite - Use “please” and “thank you”.

Be Reliable - Show your child that you mean what you say. Keep your promises!

Be a Good Listener - Give your child your full attention when they are talking to you. Put down your cell phone or laptop and look them in the eye as they speak.

Remember that children learn by watching you. Make sure that you are modeling respectful behavior. Some of the things you can do are:

Be On Time - One of the simplest ways to show respect is to be prompt. Show up to work on time, make sure your kids are at school or karate class on time, make sure you are where you say you are going to be when you say. When you show up on time, you show the person you are meeting that they are important to you.

Follow the Rules - Whether they are traffic laws or rules posted at the public pool. Rules are in place for a reason. If your child sees you break rules you see as unimportant, they will begin to pick and choose the rules they will follow by what they think is important.

Be Caring - Show concern for people, animals and the environment. Make it a point to donate your time, money or talent to those in need and explain to your childrent the importance of taking time to help others.

Avoid Poor Role Models - When you see examples of disrespect, discuss them with your child. Avoid people that show disrespect to others. They are not good role models for your family.

Explain Rules - When you set rules at home, explain why the rule is important. If your child understands why a rule is in place they will understand why it needs to be followed.

Build Their Independence - Give them responsibilities as soon as they can handle them. Even the smallest child can have chores around the house as simple as putting silverware away, folding clean towels and socks, or simply picking up after themselves.

There are so many ways to show how we feel about people in our lives. The most important thing to learn and teach is how to show love. Encourage your child and show that you believe they can succeed and they will believe they can as well.

Ms. Jessica
(adapted from teach-nology.com)