What is a good way to teach your son how to respect women?

Question

My son is about to be two and I know he is young, but I still want to teach him to be respectful to all people especially women. His dad and I are still together and I know that my relationship with him will teach him a lot. His dad is a very respectful person, but I just can't assume that my son is going to turn out like his dad. What have you done with your kids (especially boys) to teach them respect of all people?

Answer 1

My son is now 8 years old. He holds doors for women and even opens the car door for his sister. He offers them snack before he takes some and generally acts like a mini-gentleman towards women. I have to say that most of the reason for this is because he models my husbands behavior toward women. (He has acted this way since he was a toddler).
My husband gave him the "talk" about how he should treat women when he was very young. Gentle reminders to hold the door, etc. was all he needed. He constantly gets complimented from the women (and men) that he holds doors for. He feels proud and enjoys the praise.
As long as he sees his dad doing the same & the fact that you would even question how to teach him means he must be on the right path. Good luck.

Answer 2

Well, nothing beats by example......

I always made sure that my boys understood from early age how women, and really all people, should be treated.

He's probably a little young now, but just seeing mommy and daddy having a good relationship is a great start. After that you can use examples you see on TV or in real life and point them out.

If you see someone disrepcting a woman you can point out what that person did wrong and perhaps offer some better suggestions on how it could have been handled.

Although by doing this it's not a sure thing he'll turn out like dad (what's a sure thing anyway) but you will definately increase his chances than if dad was beating the crap out of you all the time

weeder

Answer 3

Great questions! Great mom!

I think that your husband is going to be the best possible teacher. If your husband is a respectable man, your son will look up to him so much and follow him. If you have a daughter, you should tell your son to always protect his sister. That way he will learn the value of protecting women.

Putting him in some sort of church or group that will encourage high morals will also be extremely helpful, that way he will have a community of people to look up to.

Make sure his friends have respectable parents.

Teach him now to say "yes ma'am" to women and to treat them respectfully. Expose him to his grandmothers, aunts, etc.

Don't allow him to watch shows or movies that could possibly degrade women. Don't allow music that is degrading to women. When he is old enough, teach him that those types of movies, shows, and music treat women badly and that you find that very disappointing and you will not tolerate it. Be consistent and firm.

Try to take him to a preschool that is diverse, but that also encourages high morals, values, and manners. That way he can make all different types of friends at a young age.

I would also encourage you and your husband to read a book called "Every Young Man's Battle." It talks about having respect for women and avoiding traps like pornography as a teenager. It teaches that women are people and are not objects. It will give you a lot of ideas for teaching your son.

Keep up the good work!

Answer 4

I have a 3 yr old girl and a 4 month old son. My daughter is expected to always say please and thank you no matter where we are. I I teach her to share ( and that is something we are currently working on right now since she doesn't like her little brother to play with "her" things sometimes.) Just today I had to discipline her because she was being rude and disrespectful to me. You have to jump on it the second it happens. She gets time outs, which work on her. After the time out I explain to her in words she will understand what she has done wrong. If she is doing something that I consider unlady like then I will correct her and show her the way I think is right (keeping in mind she is only 3). Leading by example is the best thing you can do, and your husband is doing a great job, tell him to keep up the great work.

Answer 5

Right up my ally. My 8 yr old son loves to be respectful. We taught him from an early age and still continue to reinforce yes ma'am, no ma'am, etc. He loves to be a big helper so we encouraged him to open doors for people, even the car and now he does it second nature. Think about the things you consider to be respectful then just be consistent with teaching him those values. We also go out of our way to help elderly and mom's with younger kids. (ie. helping to put away a cart at the grocery store or getting this off the shelf)

Answer 6

I started with my son when he was 2. He will be 16 next month. It was so adorable, he would see a woman going to the door and he would run as fast as his little legs could take him and pull the door open for her and say ladies first. It starts with you. You cannot let him see you be disrespected. Always have a positive role model around him. Tell him the importance of respect. If he grows up with self respect then he will respect the ladies.

Answer 7

First off the way he treats you is how he will treat women when he gets older. Make him respect you and teach him that men and women have equal thoughts and should be respected as such and that is how he will treat women of the future. You are his figure women, might not seem that way but it is the truth the same goes for dads out there towards their daughters. Good LUCK!!

Answer 8

I think part of what will teach your child to be respectful to all people is to see his parents show respect for people. I also worry that my boys will not be as respectful as I would like so I continually talk to them and teach them how they should treat people. I think if you are constantly teaching them and making them say they are sorry when they do something wrong or letting them know how they should treat someone, they will be surrounded by that and live it eventually as an adult. Never stop teaching...start young and continue it. Never think they already know how to treat people...continue to watch his behavior and correct it when it is needed.

Answer 9

I notice that you are a mom (not a dad). The absolute, positive best way to teach a child anything, is by example. If his dad is respectful, then will your son be. You want the child to be smart and well educated? Then read to him, make him realize that learning is important. You want him to have good manners, then don't tell him to say Please and Thank You. You say please and thank you. And so on.
Each day, when my grandson comes home from school, I ask him, "What did you learn in school today." Almost invariably, he will answer, "Nothing." The other day he said, "You know, grampa, almost everything I know, I learned either from you or my dad." (That is from Astronomy to Zoology, including math and correct English.) He's in the fourth grade.
Don't despair, you (and your husband) do right, and he will do right.

Answer 10

Hi,
all children learn by seeing and early correction of not good behaviors.

My eldest is now 14 years old and by seeing me take care of extended family and my children, he has already started to develop his own set of rules. I have always explained to my children that it is important to treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

I am a single mum of 4 and they have learned by watching me. Your son has the advantage of a full time dad on which to base his behaviors.

There are many studies that show that what children grow up with greatly influences their own development and emotional growth.

So with this in mind, I would not be worried. You are obviously concerned with your son's development and thus will show him the right way to deal with all people.

Enjoy you time with your son and they are little for so short a time. My baby is 14 now and where did that time go??