The first and most important step to take if you want to teach your children to respect you, is by making sure that you’re the first ones to carry out what your preach!
If you want your children to respect you then you must treat them with respect, love and attention. By doing, so you will earn their respect and cooperation.
Once they feel that you respect them, and then you can start teaching them how to respect their elders.
Let’s take a look at a typical day with the children.
What do you do if they complain about the food? Teach them to say thank you after you’ve prepared a meal, which has taken you time and effort; children should learn to appreciate the time you dedicate to them.
If you have to teach them the hard way, tell them they can prepare their own meals for the next few days, they’ll be begging you for a cooked meal again very soon!
Remember not to continue a service that is not appreciated, this will teach your children to respect the time you spend cooking.
If your children are complaining that there is nothing to eat in the house, when the cupboards are full, this is because the food they like isn’t plentiful.
Sometimes action can work wonders instead of words, let them finish all the food in the fridge and the cupboards first, then if they want more to eat, they’ll just have to go and do the shopping themselves. You’ll see that soon no one will be complaining anymore!
Talking about food are your children helping themselves to too much ketchup?
Stop trying to convince them that too much of it is bad for their health, just stop buying it or buy one bottle a month. They’ll soon learn to regulate the amount they use on their food.
Are you having problems with tidiness?
Are your children leaving their shoes scattered around the house for everyone to fall over? Tell them that the next time you find shoes lying around where they shouldn’t be you’ll throw them out and stick to your promise. You’ll find this works miracles!
You walk into their room and it’s a real mess! Set up a rule that if their rooms are not tidy by a certain day of the week there will be no dinner that evening.
Never argue with your children or have to explain yourself. You are the one dictating the rules and these should be respected.
Do not repeat time after time that they should respect you, set out your rules and have them follow them, or else put your punishments into effect.
It is important to show your children that if they don’t respect the rules, they will be punished. You must stick to what you say, or they will take advantage of your weaknesses.
This is not a matter of battling; it’s just how kids work! They are forever challenging adults, and the only way to have them respect you, is to be consistent.
