Respect means different things to different people, but most of us agree that it's important to teach respect to girls, especially your daughters about it. If you want your daughters to grow up to be respectful adults, you also want them to know that they should expect to be respected.
If you want to know how to teach your daughters to respect each other & others, we'll show you. Find out what it is, how you can explain it to your child, why a youngster might be disrespectful, and what you can do about it if they are.
Making your home a respectful place
If you create a place where your daughters feel like they are important and their ideas are heard, you are already laying the groundwork for respect.
We can show that you mean what you say by treating each other with respect every day.
Here are a few ways to tackle the task of teaching your daughters to respect each other & others.
Not Punishment, But Discipline
When daughters do something wrong or make a bad choice, punishment is meant to blame, hurt, and embarrass them. It's supposed to teach them not to do it again, but all it does is make them feel bad about themselves and teach them to be afraid.
Discipline is distinct from punishment in that it takes a proactive, constructive approach; it simply allows daughters to feel the consequences of their actions without being punished for them! It also teaches right from wrong better, since the lesson doesn't get lost in blame and anger.
Using the Tool "Ask, Don't Tell"
Ask, Don't Tell is another way to teach good behavior. Psychologist and counselor Lynn Lott made it, and it shows freedom to a "T." No one likes being told what to do, to begin with. And, believe it or not, when you ask gently, your daughters may be more inclined to help us or accomplish what you want!
Daughters need help and direction from us, and sometimes they need a little push. But asking someone in a respectful way not only shows them how to act, but it also stops backtalk and power battles!
The key is that you DO have to ask, and you can only do that if you can deal with a "no" answer. But in the long run, you're more likely to get a happy "Sure!" if you do that.
Setting an example of respect for others
No matter how nicely you talk to your daughters, you have to show that you respect other people with everything you do. Friends, strangers, everyone. You can never put too much value on setting a good example. If you don't, we're lying!
Showing your daughter how to be respectful also means keeping an eye on what they see and hear.
For example, tweens and teens are often angry by nature, but seeing mean and rude things on social media often makes things worse.
Even though you can't control everything your daughter sees, you can make sure they don't see too many bad examples (set limits and use parental controls on tech!) until they can show the difference between respect and lack of respect.
Teaching your child respect from a young age will make him a good person, which means he will also value himself and to understanding gender roles. You can also teach your daughter respect by reading good parenting books, such as "A Behavior Program for Teaching Your Children Respect and Responsibility" by Wendy N. Davis.
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