Teaching Your Children to Treat Others With Respect and Dignity

The only way to teach your children to treat others with respect and dignity is to have them be treated that way. The early years of a child's life is when he learns about the world and how to get along with others.

Parents play a very important role when it comes to teaching children how to form healthy relationships with their peers. This social competence allows children to express their feelings better, empathize with others, and be cooperative and generous in general.

The best way to teach children this lesson is by modeling this behavior to them. For example, using the word "please" or lending a helping hand to those in need is essentially teaching them how you'd like them to act.

Have your children assist you with daily tasks. Whenever they willingly offer to help, accept it. Make it a point to praise your child's behavior, and help them realize how emotionally fulfilling it is to help other people out.

Socially competent children display a strong sense of self worth and importance. In essence, a child who feels good about himself finds it easy to treat others in a positive and helpful manner.

Encourage acts of generosity through simple things such as sharing and cooperation. Let your child know once it is someone else's turn to play with a toy or go on a swing. Then, praise your child for being able to recognize the need to give way to others. Don't forget to thank them for being polite and respectful as well as for sharing and being cooperative.

Based on their own experience, children know that words are very powerful. Name-calling and teasing can immensely affect other people's feelings. Children always want to be treated fairly. The only problem is that they don't always know how to treat others the same way.

The most effective way to teach your child the concept of fairness is to explain a rule to him, and point out the fact that it not only applies to him, but to others as well.