Toddlers are not innately born with a sense of respect for others. These guidelines will help empower parents to create a respective environment at home, which will hopefully permeate into a respectful standard of living.
1. Show respectful behavior
Teaching respect is something adults can teach by doing. Unfortunately, adults do not give children the kind of respect we normally demand from them, according to psychologist Jerry Wyckoff.
Start by listening and engaging in daily conversation to demonstrate that the parent is interested in what the child has to say. Regular family meetings where every member of the family can share their ideas and opinions about issues will be a great way to show respect even from a toddler.
2. Teach polite responses
While this may sound overrated, teaching a toddler basic manners such as saying "please", "excuse me" and "thank you" will never get old. Doing this teaches toddlers to respect others and to acknowledge their impact on other people, according to Empowering Parents.
3. Set limits
Being firm and setting limits shows respect and discipline for what needs to be done. When a toddler throws a fit in a clothing store, tell the little one that you will be leaving and will just go back to the store another time when he or she feels calmer.
4. Be respectful when correcting
Yelling and getting upset when a child is disrespectful will only escalate bad behavior. Responding negatively to disrespectful behavior will turn a teachable moment into a bad opportunity.
Instead, pull the toddler aside and send them a clear message without embarrassing or shouting at them in front of other people. Follow up by saying something quietly as this may instantly change a child's behavior.
5. Talk about what happened
Remember that an incident of showing disrespectful behavior may not be the best time to talk about limits and consequences. It will be much better to talk about a child's behavior when things calm down to point out what kind of behavior was unacceptable.
6. Praise respectful behavior
The praise must describe the specific behavior in detail so toddlers will quickly learn that their efforts are appreciated, according to Baby Center. For example, "Thank you for saying please when you asked to borrow scissors."
