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One of the most important thing you can teach your child is respect.   Keep in mind that respect is not the same as obedience.  Children might obey because they are afraid.  If however they learn what respect means they will obey because they know it is the best for them.

The best way to teach respect is to show respect.  Probably one of the most widespread social problems of our day is the lack of respect for authority.  One only needs to travel on public transport to see the vandalism that takes place.  Drink driving, reckless driving not obeying road rules all are the result of disrespect for authorities.  Governments and Laws are established to bring order, provide benefits to the citizens of that country and to punish those who are law breakers.  Without a structured government system society breaks down and chaos rules.

Respect for authority begins in the home, if your child is not taught to show respect for you, their parent, then he/she will certainly not show respect for the authorities within school government or the Church etc.  It is easier for your child to show respect to you as their parents if you are loving, fair and compassionate toward them. You also need to practise what you preach if you are to have credibility in the child’s eyes.  That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, if just means that you need to show respect to authority.  You may not realize but 95% of everything children learn, they learn from what is modelled for them.  The other 5% they learn from direct instruction.  Every word they hear, everything they experience is permanently recorded in their subconscious.  Whenever you say something you are being a role model for the child in your presence.  What you speak is what you teach.  The language your child grows up hearing is the language they will speak.

Start today to be mindful when talking, in front of your child, about how you feel about the drink driving laws.  You may not think that it is fair that you are limited to a certain number of drink, you might believe that you can drink twice as much and still be O.K. to drive and I’ve even heard some say they believe they drive better when they have had a few drinks.  This is not the message you want your child to hear.   What in fact the child is interpreting is that the Law sucks, that it is O.K. to drink and drive because the law doesn’t understand that some people can drink and drive and not have or cause an accident.

Another topic parents usually casually talk about, within the presence of the child, is the unfairness of driving or parking fines.  I know of parents. who with their children in the car, will knowingly speed and say to their partner watch out for any police, or otherwise they will park their car in a no parking area and say hope those ????? are not around, they have nothing better to do but fine people.  Once again what type of message are these parents giving their children.

Respect for authority comes through the realisation that they are there to help us and not just to control us.  It is important to re enforce this to your children, especially when they might not always appreciate or agree with decisions made by those in authority. 

Teach your child to honour and respect the authorities in their lives, whether it be teachers, government police or church authorities.  This will greatly assist them to understand that the structures that have been set up are given to help and keep them safe in life.

Schools teach children about respect, but parents have the most influence on how respectful children become.