Are parents OWED respect?

Question

Why do parents think they deserve respect from their children?
Parents think they are owed respect ! I feel they are not owed it. If they earn it then thats wonderful. I think my children respect me but i work very hard to always respect them..... They deserve just as much respect as you do.....

I have heard mothers that are in and out of rehad talk about respect.... im sorry but they did not put their children first they put drugs and drinking above their children, but still think they are owed respect . I feel its something everyone has to earn. Just because you have a child doesnt earn you respect.

How do you view respect?

No Heather C this was not because of your question..... I Hear alot of parents demanding that the are owed respect but dont seem to want to do anything to earn it......... It was actually ment for my Neighbor that drinks and goes to AA She doesnt want help it was court ordered!!! She treats her children like crap.

*******************they

My kids are 15 years old, 6 years old, 3 months old, and im expecting.

Answer 1

Couples should respect each other, and out of that comes a good role model for what respecting is all about.

Situations where parents don't do their duty, abuse their kids or have addiction problems, of course the parents do not deserve their child's respect.

But if you do as much as you can for your child, being present, being loving, yes, parents deserve their child's respect, and are in a position to demand it.

Debbie

Answer 2

I completely agree with you. Children have to be taught how to respect and seeing on how we as parents are our children's best teachers, they do and say what they see us do. If our children see us act mean, they too will act mean. I don't think just because you have a child means you automatically get respect. I also agree that our children deserve our respect. I mean, if we can't respect them, what gives us the right to demand respect from them? So, like I said, I couldn't agree with you more about this issue.

My children are 2, 3, and 4. The only reason they know or are learning how to respect is because me and their dad make a point in telling them we respect them, their stuff, and the way they feel. The more respect we show them the more they learn how to respect us and other people. this was a good issue to bring up. Many people don't view it as we do, so good for you bringing it up.

Answer 3

Pretty much the way you do. If you haven't been there for children or treat them like crap you are owed anything! For example my sons father isnt around was for about 2 months 2 years ago Why should my son respect him? He shouldn't. Alot of parents might not agree with you but if they dont then they should really take a look at how they treat there kids!

Answer 4

I read most of the others and I think the bottom line is we brought them here and at that moment we owed them everything. they owe us nothing.

when you have a child, that child will give you unconditional love and that is what we should give them. When you say they owe you respect you just put a condition on them. If they don't then what? CONDITION

We must teach our children to respect other and us. The only way is to show how we earn it from other and at the same time we start to earn it from them with all the unconditional love we can get.

These three thing have always helped me to keep my focus
1. Give someone a hug (big one)
2. Kids are people too
3. Be good to your self

It always works for me

Answer 5

I think parents deserve a certain amount of respect just because they are your parents. But I also think parents have to work to earn respect. You have to respect your child to earn respect from them. I understand what you're saying about the parents who put other things before their children. In that instance a child is going to lose respect for their parents all on their own. But I think they should still maintain the basic level of respect for the parent. Such as not bad mouthing the parent to other people.

Answer 6

I think you owe someone respect until they give you a reason not to respect them, then they have to earn it back. So, basically, I agree with your sentiment, but totally disagree with your last statement. Having chidren should entitle you to their respect as long as you behave appropriately as their parent. (I've seen some very disrespectful children whose parents have done everything in providing for them.) However, if a parent puts drugs, alcohol, sexual partner, or even work, before the well-fare of the child, then Yes, they are no longer entitled to their children's respect and shouldn't complain about their children's disrespectful attitude or dislike for being around them.

Answer 7

Hey Tammer, how's it goin"? Oh, to get to your question, one of THE 10 COMMANDMENTS IS TO HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER!! Doesn't say respect though. To honor means to be an upstanding member of the community and a person of your "word", or someone who says what they will do they do, and can be counted on for whatever. In other words make your parents proud who you are. One cannot choose who their parents will be. Whether a drunkard / drug addict / low life or a rocket scientist / preacher / community leader. I was taught to respect my elders with 'Yes Sir", "No Maa'm," Thankyou, please, and thankyou, no. Along with rising when someone older than me entered the room and offering them my seat. That included the town drunk, the homeless and down trodden. I grew up during the 60's with civil rights protests and the African Americans( Blacks) having to stand and give a white child their seat on a bus or park bench. It didn't matter to my parents or grandparents what color you were I was to act respectful to my elders Respect is a "Given" in certain instances. The way I respect co-workers and friends is a type of "earned respect" even though I may not like them. I feel respect has nothing to do with love and everything to do with love( make sense?, not to me but it's true) Your kids respect you for being you and they also love you. I feel respect should be shown to parents( ya don't have to love them but because they are older show some respect for what they are, your parents ,not who they are drunkards or druggies. See, JESUS said "He who is without sin , cast the first stone at the harlot"! So to pass judgement on someone means you are willing to be judged( we all have skeletons in the closet, don't we) Kinda like that new C&W song about Momma before she was Momma. If more people just showed a little more respect for others, no matter what thre status or situation is we could go back to a time when things were , well , a little more respectful. So no matter what a parents' actions are the child should show respect by following just simple manners and showing the community that they have some "Honor" about them

Answer 8

Yes, in a way. But parent should live up to that respect. And they should respect their children, too. No kid deserves a druggie for a mother or father.
It's all about responsibility, isn't it. We feel we have the right to have children, but we forget that children have the right to a settled home and a happy life, too. Children need more than love - that emotional feeling you get when your baby is newborn. They need dedication and stability.

Answer 9

I believe they earn it especially as a child grows up and is capable of making mature decisions. My parents earned every bit of respect i gave them and i gave them alot. In turn they respected me and we had a good relationship. Sometimes we would fight as all families do but we would earn each other respect back if it was lost.

Answer 10

Yes, for the most part I agree with you. If you are a good parent and you treat your kids with respect, then you are owned respect, but your kids do have to know who is boss.

If a parent is a druggie then no, they don't owe any kind of respect. How could anyone respect someone who does drugs? I know I can't.