Every day, in the news, a new headline appears detailing yet
another disturbing accusation. A
consistent stream of sexual harassment or assault accusations are surfacing,
and people continue to try to understand why we live in a culture of so much disrespect.
The scenario has made many people, parents in particular, ask themselves how
this type of offensive behavior can be avoided. In the media, there’s been a
lot of discussion about how appalling sexual harassment is, but there’s not
been enough discussion about how to prevent it. Contributing to the overall
problem is an absence of moral virtue and a denial of human nature. A society filled
with people who believe they can customize their morality to their personal preferences
will always result in a culture of abuse, bullying, and disrespect.
As this issue pertains to the world of parenting, many
parents have asked themselves, “How can I teach my children, especially my
boys, to respect others and prevent them from harassing others?” Among the many
pointers that could be offered about this, here’s the best way to teach this
virtue: model it in your home.
Children do more than observe their parents. Children imitate
their parents’ behavior and embrace their parents’ values. They watch how
dad treats mom, and they listen to the way mom talks about dad. They observe empathy
when mom and dad work to encourage each other with their words. They learn how
to love when they watch the way mom and dad respond to each other, even in
times of disagreement. They learn the value of both genders when they watch mom
and dad work together as a team. They learn consideration when they watch mom
and dad extend kindness to one another.
When boys watch how dad esteems mom with the highest level
of respect possible, they develop a respect for the female gender. When girls
observe how mom values dad rather than dismissing him as unimportant, they
understand the value of the male gender. When dad prioritizes his family higher
than his personal interests, children will begin to associate maleness with responsibility.
When mom demands respect from her children rather than permitting rudeness,
children will learn that disrespect is inappropriate with females.
Of course, parents need to have discussions at times to
train their children, and correction will be needed at times as well. But
discussion by itself will never compensate for a poor example. It takes good and loving role models to teach kids how to
respect and love others.
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