People today amaze me, especially kids. When I was brought up, I was taught certain things by my parents. I was taught to say "please" and "thank you". I was taught to be honest. I was taught to be kind to others. I was taught to work hard. Okay, I will admit that I don't always work hard. But, at least I know I am supposed to. Also, I was taught to respect others, especially my elders.
Disrespect is one of my biggest pet peeves. Lying and cheating are certainly ranked higher; but, this one irritates the piss out of me. If everyone would just approach each new person with a basic respect, we could have a much more peaceful planet. Instead, we all to often form an opinion of this person before we even meet him.
On a big scale, for example, we have many Muslims raised to hate Jews and vice versa. I remember watching some documentary on HBO a few years ago and they followed a Palestinian boy around and he told how he was raised to believe that the Jews are the enemy (among many other words). Not only was he taught to not respect them, he was taught to HATE them. It is quite possible that an Israeli child might be brought up the same way. The power of a parent's words is tremendous!
On a smaller and more individual scale, we have kids who show NO respect, not even to their own parents. To watch some of these kids interact with their parents sometimes makes my jaw drop. Did he/she just say THAT?? And if they act like that with their parents, how would they act around others?!?!? I'm not a parent yet; but, I can tell you that my kids will be brought up with the same values that I was. Live by the Golden Rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Treat not only your elders with respect, but ALL people.
How does one learn respect? First of all, parents need to let their kids know when they step out of line. Don't turn away from it. Take responsibility for your children. Would YOUR parents have let YOU get away with what your kids are getting away with? I am guessing the answer is 'no'.
I will admit that I play my share of video games. However, I think that video games are WAY too prominent in families these days. Now, say a family has a Wii and they play games together, use Wii Fit and maybe some family oriented games. I am cool with that to an extent. Just please do not let the video games become your kids' babysitter OR the only thing that brings the family together. Likewise, please do not let the TV be the babysitter either.
Once again, I have to admit that I watch WAY too much TV. And I understand why parents like those portable DVD players for the kids on road trips. Hey, it makes sense. But, you know, when the family is at home, why let the TV babysit? If the family is watching together, that's different. But, how often are you watching together? And how often are you watching something with any human value versus some movie with questionable content and language?
Language - here's where I start showing my age. There is entirely WAY too much language and sex on TV. Did I really just say that? I did. Don't let the TV be where your kids learn life skills. Sure, once you hit a certain age, the rules change a bit. But, I don't think I swore in front of my parents until I was probably 20 years old. Don't quote me on that. I think that once a kid hits 17 or 18, things can loosen up a bit. However, a 12 year old or a 15 year old swearing in front of their parents is NOT right. Sure, teens will be teens. But, there is a limit and it is up to the PARENTS to teach them what is right and what is wrong.
People wonder why their kids end up with the wrong crowd or end up all messed up. "Oh I don't know why he acts like that." "I don't know where she got that attitude." I have a feeling a lot of it can be traced back to how they were raised and how much their parents were around. If you have kids, PLEASE teach them right. Teach them to be upstanding citizens. Teach them how to act properly in public. If you do not teach them these things, someone else will. And that person may not have the same values as YOU.
On a big scale, for example, we have many Muslims raised to hate Jews and vice versa. I remember watching some documentary on HBO a few years ago and they followed a Palestinian boy around and he told how he was raised to believe that the Jews are the enemy (among many other words). Not only was he taught to not respect them, he was taught to HATE them. It is quite possible that an Israeli child might be brought up the same way. The power of a parent's words is tremendous!
On a smaller and more individual scale, we have kids who show NO respect, not even to their own parents. To watch some of these kids interact with their parents sometimes makes my jaw drop. Did he/she just say THAT?? And if they act like that with their parents, how would they act around others?!?!? I'm not a parent yet; but, I can tell you that my kids will be brought up with the same values that I was. Live by the Golden Rule - "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Treat not only your elders with respect, but ALL people.
How does one learn respect? First of all, parents need to let their kids know when they step out of line. Don't turn away from it. Take responsibility for your children. Would YOUR parents have let YOU get away with what your kids are getting away with? I am guessing the answer is 'no'.
I will admit that I play my share of video games. However, I think that video games are WAY too prominent in families these days. Now, say a family has a Wii and they play games together, use Wii Fit and maybe some family oriented games. I am cool with that to an extent. Just please do not let the video games become your kids' babysitter OR the only thing that brings the family together. Likewise, please do not let the TV be the babysitter either.
Once again, I have to admit that I watch WAY too much TV. And I understand why parents like those portable DVD players for the kids on road trips. Hey, it makes sense. But, you know, when the family is at home, why let the TV babysit? If the family is watching together, that's different. But, how often are you watching together? And how often are you watching something with any human value versus some movie with questionable content and language?
Language - here's where I start showing my age. There is entirely WAY too much language and sex on TV. Did I really just say that? I did. Don't let the TV be where your kids learn life skills. Sure, once you hit a certain age, the rules change a bit. But, I don't think I swore in front of my parents until I was probably 20 years old. Don't quote me on that. I think that once a kid hits 17 or 18, things can loosen up a bit. However, a 12 year old or a 15 year old swearing in front of their parents is NOT right. Sure, teens will be teens. But, there is a limit and it is up to the PARENTS to teach them what is right and what is wrong.
People wonder why their kids end up with the wrong crowd or end up all messed up. "Oh I don't know why he acts like that." "I don't know where she got that attitude." I have a feeling a lot of it can be traced back to how they were raised and how much their parents were around. If you have kids, PLEASE teach them right. Teach them to be upstanding citizens. Teach them how to act properly in public. If you do not teach them these things, someone else will. And that person may not have the same values as YOU.
Well put, friend. I am amazed at some of the things I hear and see - now that I am a mom, I just cannot fathom my child being disrespectful to us or to anyone else. It is definitely how you raise your children and more importantly, how they see YOU interact with others. Children imitate what they see - we are very conscious of this as Tallen gets older.
ReplyDeleteWell said!