The best way to teach our children to respect us as parents and other people is by parents setting the examples themselves. Every little thing that we do and say has an affect on how our kids will act when they are growing and have grown up.
It takes a long time for a child to learn how to speak and this automatically gives us the impression that they will not understand us and this is not true. If we swear in front of them or argue with each other the child may not be able to understand what is being said but they can certainly hear what is being said.
A child is always learning as they develop and although they may not know what we are saying the way that we say and the power that we put into saying them will certainly make a lasting impression. When we learn to honour our children and the fact that we accept that they are a part of our lives from day one then we are able to pass on the best qualities that a person can offer.
When a child comes into our lives we are overwhelmed with feelings of love and hope and we simply want to do the best for our children and we, in turn, want to be the best parents that we possibly can be. When we have children we start to look at our lives in a different way and things that never seemed a problem before, all of a sudden are.
This can change our habits and the way that we feel and think about everything from our physical vices to our relationships. Everything that we do we examine as if it were under the microscope and this can in turn be very stressful to a person on the whole.
There is however a good side to this as we can actually see what we are doing wrong in our own lives and then make sure, as parents, that we do not encourage this in our children. Actually talking to other parents who are experiencing the same difficulties that you may be facing is a good way to see things from someone else’s point of view.
Our goals to becoming a great parent are usually at their strongest when the child is first born and this can often lead to us becoming a little to accustom to their presence and in turn we lose that hunger.
Although it is never too late to reacquire that hunger it is also never to late to realise whether we are giving ourselves the best opportunity to provide a good environment to our children.
By becoming people that respect each other then and only then can we understand the true meaning of honour and be able to pass this on to our children. Honour and respect has to be earned by the parents before they can teach their own children to be honourable and respectful.

It is never too soon to teach your children to act in a responsible fashion. With children under about age five, the lessons need to be simple: be obedient, say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and pick up their toys and things. Giving them a simple chore to do, something like helping to set the table is an excellent start.

Above the age of five or six, you can give them additional chores. If you have other younger children, assigning the older child to help with their care can be quite helpful. It is never too soon to teach them the value of helping with family matters. And, as they help with the younger child (or children), they can develop a deep appreciation for what it is to be a parent. Thus they will learn to respect you and all you do. The flip side to this is learning to also respect their elders. In this case, learning by example is the best way to teach them. If you show proper respect to your parents and other elders, your children will learn to do it as well. Typically, non-family members are referred to as “auntie” and “uncle”; this is something you’ll want to reinforce by using the terms yourself.

Very often, people complain about their lot in life and take what they have for granted. So, getting your child to help the less fortunate teaches them to value life, and all that they have. Not only will they learn the importance of giving to the poor, but see the value of getting a good education. These days, to get ahead, a college degree is vital. If your child can see what not getting an education can lead to, it will help to make them a devoted and responsible student.

When a child gets into the double digits in age, they can think about getting an after school job. Very often, a simple position at a local store, market or some other such place is a perfect way to start. It will give your child a little bit of work experience outside the home, but not interfere with their schoolwork. Also, working for a non-family member will teach them about showing respect to others. If you can afford it, an excellent means of motivating them in work is to match what they earn. As an added plus, if you put the money you give them into a savings account that will teach them about being financially responsible and saving money for the future.

The next step comes when they become full-fledged teenagers. At those ages, children need to start thinking about their potential career, and possibly marriage. This is where respect for family becomes very important; as many marriages are arranged through family connections. Some teens may balk at this as they feel it is too soon to be thinking about marriage, or they don’t want the family to play matchmaker. Two key factors can help with these issues. First, you can assure them that just meeting with prospective spouses doesn’t mean a marriage is going to happen soon! After all, college and career may need to come first. And second, there are the examples of family. If you and your spouse met this way, and/or other family members, you can tell your teen about the help and value of listening to family on such a weighty matter.