National Respect for Parents Day

Tips to teach children respectful behavior

Virginia Beach, VA - July 31, 2018 . . .August 1st is National Respect Your Parents Day. Here at Community Solutions we work with parents throughout Hampton Roads to help strengthen families and empower parents with the tools necessary to raise their children to thrive and survive in an ever-changing world.

Part of a well-adjusted family life is a mutual respect for one another. In honor of National Respect Your Parents Day, we'd like to share a few tips to for parents to teach children the value of respect.

1. Be the Example. Children learn from our behavior. If they see us snapping a folks or being impolite, they will certainly replicate those same behaviors.
2. Teach your child social interaction skills. If may seem like it should go without saying, but teaching your child to say "Please" and "Thank you" is paramount. When your child enters school or your teen gets his or her first job, understanding and practicing polite and respectful social skills will go a long way.
3. Set realistic expectations around their behavior. Children, teens and tweens will definitely not be perfect all the time. Communicate your expectations to your child, helping them understand what is expected of them and what the consequences will be if they don’t meet those expectations. If they meet your goals, certainly give them credit, but also if they don’t, follow through on whatever consequences you’ve set up for them.
4. Be respectful when you correct your child. When your child is being disrespectful, remember to correct them in a respectful manner. Yelling and getting upset will more than likely escalate their poor behavior. Try pulling your child aside and firmly talk with them, there's no need to shout or embarrass them. You can use these moments as teaching moments, examples of staying calm under pressure.
5. Don't be too hard on yourself. Our job as parents is to teach our kids and model the behavior we hope to instill in them. You often times never know from hour to hour what kind of mood your tween may be in, hormones and emotions run wild. Do your best to not over react and remember you are doing the best you can.

Community Solutions offers Parenting Groups and Parent Mentoring programs. Give us a call at (757)461-5098 or contact us to learn more.