Many parents think that respectful parenting is one of the parenting styles that was founded by psychologist Diana Baumrind.
In fact, respectful parenting, from my point of view, is just some technique to use while raising your kids.
Fasten your seat belt because we will explore what respectful parents do to have a healthy relationship with their children.
In this article, we will try to cover the following:
Things that respectful parents should do
Things to not do while using respectful parenting
What is respectful parenting?
It is a philosophy that cares about making a loving and supportive environment for our kids to nurture their emotional and social development.
Respectful parents also care about their relationship and how they treat each other in a good way in front of the kids.
Things that respectful parents should do
They listen to their kids carefully.
Some parents do not listen to all the nonsense talking of their little kids because none of it is real; on the contrary, respectful parents care about what their kids say and feel.
Respectful parents treat their kids nicely.
Parents should treat their kids nicely without belittling them because letting them feel that they are treated like adults will improve their self-confidence.
They set rules around the house.
Setting rules is no luxury because they are necessary to protect the children from any surrounding danger.
They are role models.
Some parents forbid their kids from things like eating too much, for example, but at the same time, kids can see their parents do the opposite.
In our case, parents who are respectful will do what they say.
They let their kids decide on their own.
In respectful parenting, parents will let their kids make their own choices and consider their opinions when there is a conflict in the house.
Parents care about spending time with children.
They will care about spending quality time with children to make the whole family bond with each other.
Respectful parents know how to discipline their kids.
These parents will know healthy techniques to discipline their children according to their age when they break the rules.
They give them unconditional love.
Parents will not require anything in return when their kids ask them for something they need, because this attitude will teach them to be generous and to give unconditional love to the ones they care about.
Things to not do while using respectful parenting
Shaming kids
Respectful parents do not yell at kids as a punishment because they may feel insulted, which is not good for their mental health.
They do not cause childhood trauma.
Punishing kids severely, like hitting or yelling, is not good for kids because they will have a traumatic experience.
This can lead to bad behavior from kids toward their parents when they get older.
Respectful parents do not violate kids’ privacy.
They will not spy on their kids’ phones or enter their rooms without knocking because violating kids’ privacy will not let them feel secure.
No compare to other kids in respectful parenting
Parents who practice respectful parenting know that kids do not have the same abilities or interests, so they will never compare one kid to another.
They do not punish without explanation
Parents will talk to their kids and explain why they are being disciplined because doing this will help them learn from their mistakes.
Respectful parenting is not about over-controlling.
Parents will have to control their kids when they do not have the required experience to make any decisions, but when kids get older, they will let them choose on their own.
What is the parenting style that suits this approach?
There are four main parenting styles:
Authoritative parenting style.
These styles are categorized according to two main factors: responsiveness and demandingness.
Responsiveness means how parents react and care about their children’s needs.
Demandingness means that parents have high expectations of their children, like being successful or showing good behavior.
If you take a close look at the authoritative style, you will find that it has high responsiveness and demandingness.
As a result, we can see that respectful parenting is the main philosophy behind the authoritative style.
Does treating kids respectfully mean having good kids?
Respectful parents work hard to raise their kids and use healthy techniques and discipline while dealing with them.
Not all wishes can be fulfilled because, no matter how hard you try, there are other important factors that have a direct impact on your kids, like:
Bad neighborhood.
If you know about multiple crimes or hear the police sirens, then make it a priority to look for another place to live.
Living in a place like this is not a good choice because your kids are vulnerable to childhood traumas in this neighborhood, like street fights or substance abuse activity.
Toxic friends.
If you have a good kid and he develops an irregular behavior, then you should ask him about his new friends.
Kids, in general, like to imitate each other, so it is possible that your kid has made a new friendship with a toxic friend.
Modern technology
Social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or other user-generated content applications are not beneficial for our kids.
These apps may have inappropriate content that is not suitable for our kids, so you should supervise your kids by using parental control software or setting a limited time to use the internet in general.
Dealing with a careless family member
Some family members, like cousins, uncles, or aunts, do not care enough about their attitude when kids are around, like saying inappropriate words.
If kids love this family member, then they will imitate his style when dealing with anyone.