Disrespect:   dis·re·spect  (from Dictionary.com)

1. lack of respect;  discourtesy; rudeness.

2.  to regard or treat without respect;  regard or treat with contempt or rudeness.

I find it interesting how families can determine and define ‘disrespect’ among their children.  Some families have very little tolerance, while other families can hardly find a way to communicate with each other without being disrespectful.

I would say disrespect among our children is escalating – I know that for those of us who are in the 30-40 age range we could certainly say, “I would never have gotten away with speaking to my parent that way!”  The eye-rolling, the deep sighs when asked to help out, the flat out, “no.”  So why is it allowed now?

The reality is that you can and should expect respect in your home among family members indeed just as much as you would expect it dealing with others outside your home.

As I work with two different families over the past month, the topic of disrespect and bad attitudes among their children surfaced.  Both moms wondered at what age to make a big deal of it, or was it just a stage the child had to go through.  Often times, there are stages of behavior that will pass and you will not need to expend a lot of energy on to combat, but others will aggressive action and consistent patterns of behavior – on your part as the parent to help curb it from escalating out of control. [Read more…]