10 Steps to Family Happiness
Post #7
As a child I always thought that respect was something that children were supposed to give adults. As a parent I’ve realized that respect also needs to be given to children. When we give respect we become respectable.
The world can be a mean place, in our school systems and even out in the work force bullying seems to become even more prevalent than ever before. Our homes should be safe places for our families, free of bullying and full of respect.
It is not respectful for a wife to call her mother and complain about her Husband. I was given some advice as a newlywed that has stuck with me throughout all the years. The advice was that one should never talk to their friends or family about the petty things their spouse does because it can cause those people to disrespect the spouse. It also causes the complainer to dwell on the negative attributes of their spouse. If you want your friends and family to love your spouse, and if you want to love your spouse to the fullest, it does not help to tell others about how annoying it is when they chew with their mouth open or leave Kleenex’s all over the house. (By the way, these are things my own spouse might found annoying about me, not the other way around!)
The same goes with your children. They are pounded by the ills of the world on a daily basis and need someone on their side. Who better to be on your kid’s side than you? Don’t tell Grandma about the time Jimmy wet his bed last week, or how he got a D on another test. And when we talk to our own kids about these things we should do it in the spirit of building them up and helping them. “Oh my goodness Jimmy I cannot believe you got a D on that test! You are clearly not studying!” does not build Jimmy up. Instead of tearing him down we should think of ways to help. “Wow Jimmy, it looks like that test was really hard. I think if we work over the things you had a hard time remembering we can master it!”
Everybody wants and needs respect. It goes back to the golden rule,
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