I saw a beautiful thing this week. My family was visiting the home of a dear friend. She has an 18-month-old daughter who can barely talk, but already she’s been taught how to respect people. When we came in the house, she reached out to shake our hands, and she said what sounded like, “Pleased to meet you.” When her older brother was teasing her, she said, “Stop, please.” When I finished reading her a book, she said, “Thank you.” How was this happening at 18 months old? Mom practiced and practiced and practiced. Respecting adults, not just parents, is a learned behavior. If we don’t respect adults, how will they? And if we’re not respecting our kids, how will they learn that respect is just good behavior?
Teaching respect is more than words.
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