Raise Them Right™ CORE VALUE: RESPECT

Parents, extended family members, and mentors like you are linking arms to Raise Them Right™ and step boldly into the incredible opportunity to shape and build up the next generation. Together we can proactively instill the values-based culture that is the heritage of our great nation.

Everything is a stake. It is now up to us to lead our children forward with an intentionality that’s motivated by all that we risk losing. Our legacy is a gift of those who came before us. It is earned with the blood, sweat, and tears of our witness to others’ actions and effort – those who bore the personal characteristics that have made America great.

The foundations of our families, our communities and our country need our resolve to restore the next generation by extending an invite, offering our experience and wisdom, and by modeling for those searching for a guiding light.

Along the way, we’re here to provide the Raise Them Right™ Community insight, support, and practical ideas for guiding the quality time you invest in those whom you have a sacred assignment to shepherd. With that precious time, you’ll teach the core values and vital virtues that build character, influence action, and set-up our young people for success. As goes the family so goes the nation!

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Raising Them Right

Values and virtues are what define our character and guide actions. They are among the most important lessons and legacies we can build up in youth. In a world where kids are bombarded with messaging, core values and vital virtues are better caught in action than taught in theory. That’s why it is more important than ever to spend intentional, quality time with our kids, with impressionable young family members, and with mentees to both model what’s truly important and to explain the context of why.

Raise Them Right™ CORE VALUE: RESPECT

Re·spect

noun    1. A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

• Respect for oneself. Child psychologists attribute the vast majority of aberrant behavior in teenagers to a lack of self-respect and self-esteem. Especially if children are not taught about their personal value at a young age by parents and other influential adults, fellow children and an anonymous community online are sure to tear kids down at every turn. Children must be told and shown they are worthy of love and respect. One of the most powerful ways to communicate this is by spending time with them.
  

  “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both under your belt, that’s real power.”

• Respect for others. From misplaced aggression to victimizing others to sociopathic behavior, a lack of respect for others is at the root of the very adult, very selfish message that one better “get yours or get out of your way.” While societal division over economic, political, race, and other equality issues claims the attention of most public narratives, these are complex topics for young minds to process. Teaching a true and abiding respect for others, all people, first should be the foundation of lessons of respect. Keep it simple. Being respectful of others is right.
  

  “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

• Respect for our national heritage. We run the risk today of raising a generation of young Americans who lack pride in their nation, who will miss the security and identity of being part of an amazing legacy that has changed the world for the better, and as a consequence will lack the sense of ownership and motivation to carry forward Americas’ greatness – when we will count on them to lead. We need not be pollyannish, but unless we talk about and celebrate the bright spots and incredible achievements of our nation and its people with our kids, they’ll miss it.
  

  “We confide in our strength, without boasting of it, we respect that of others, without fearing it.”

Raise Them Right™ TRY THIS!

Even young children can understand the concept of respecting themselves, respecting others, and respecting our nation.

Inherently, most have a pre-wired sense of justice and of cause-and-effect. As you spend quality time with your young person, help make the connection between feelings of admiration that are based on and earned by perceptible abilities, qualities and achievements. We all desire to be respected. Having the opportunity and build, earn, and give respect is a powerful motivator for adults and children alike to display values-based behavior.

Talk about the value of respect, whom you respect – and why. In addition to telling your young person that you love them, seek opportunities to affirm that you respect them, their choices, and their actions. Model the behavior you seek.