As children age, they begin to assert their autonomy by making their own choices and accepting the consequences. As a parent, it can be difficult to respect your child's wishes, desires and choices, especially when you feel as though the child is incorrect. But before you put your foot down, consider the role respect plays in your parent-child relationship. Respect is a two-way street, which means you'll need to give respect to your child to expect the same in return.
Maintaining Boundaries
As a parent, it's your job to set clear and consistent guidelines for your child's behavior. As your child becomes older and begins to test those boundaries with her actions, mutual respect is what will keep her from directly breaking the rules that you've discussed and agreed upon. Simply setting boundaries without explaining the hows and whys can make your child feel disrespected and suffocated, making her care about the actual boundaries less and more apt to test them and your patience.
Close Relationships
As a parent, you play the greatest role in shaping your child's personality, behavior and ultimately, the future. By showing respect for your child's personality, wants, needs and tastes, you help to create a close familial relationship that can result in better behavior overall. A study performed by America's Promise Alliance found that children who had a better relationship with their parents fared better in health, education, peer experiences and even volunteering. Ensuring that you foster an environment for mutual respect helps you maintain that close relationship.
Exemplary Behavior
If you want to raise a respectful child, you must first exhibit that behavior in the home. Your child will learn how to treat others by your actions as a parent. If you belittle, talk down to or discourage your child, your child will reciprocate, using that same behavior on his family, friends and even authority figures. By taking time to talk to your child and respecting his opinion, you teach him to exhibit tolerance, communication and respect in his daily life.
Conflict Resolution
Even the closest parents and children are bound to have conflict. For some, the conflict is more readily resolved than others. Parents and children who respect each other know how to pick their battles and then use communication, understanding and compromise to make the relationship work. Without a degree of mutual respect, conflicts can turn into yelling matches, frustration and eventual resentment of each other's thoughts and ideals. By showing respect, conflicts are less of a problem and more of an opportunity to understand and work together better.
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