Teaching Teens Respect For Authority

Teaching Teens Respect For Authority

Teaching Teens Respect For Authority

I remember my father telling me “to not make a mountain out of a molehill.”  He was helping me understand that the situation I was facing wasn’t as big of a deal as I was making it.

Unfortunately, many parents and their children are suffering from the philosophy that everything is a molehill and there aren’t any situations that should be considered mountains. One mountain many families must face is the blatant disregard for authority that I see almost everywhere I look.

The mountain of respecting authority can be seen through comments that were common in my youth:

  • “Honor your mother and father”
  • “Respect your elders”
  • Don’t forget to say please and thank you
  • “Open the door for your mother”
  • “If you get in trouble at school, you will be in twice the trouble when you get home”.
 

Parenting With Expectations

My parents understood that there were mountains—situations that were a big deal—that I needed to understand and adhere to.  For example, I was not a peer to my parents and their friends, and to this day still call them by the titles of Mr. and Mrs.

But this respect for authority seems to have been replaced with a blatant disregard for authority. I wonder if this could be reversed simply by explaining our expectations in this area to our children, and then holding them accountable to those expectations.

Some of you still might be skeptical about the truth behind this lack of respect I’m talking about. If you are, I would ask for you to test it out the next time you go to the mall or grocery store.  Observe the number of times that someone cuts you off, or walks in front of you, and never utters the words that cost them nothing and always brings a smile: “Excuse me.” I think it will only take a few times of this for you to agree with me that lack of respect today is a problem.

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