Where is your child learning respect? Is it at school or is it at home – or both. Respect, I believe begins at home. If we want our children to be respectful, we have to be. But what does that ‘respect’ look like?

Respect is about calling each other by our proper names/nick names/real names if they don’t offend – Mum, Dad, John, Jill, Mumsy, Poppa.  It is talking to each other instead of shouting, asking others if you can use/have something of theirs, it is talking nicely to each other, making time and thinking about other’s needs.

We need to model that behaviour and teach our children ‘to do as we do’. We have to live our values and if one of those is respect, then we’ve got to behave respectfully.

How do you model ‘respect’ in your household?

It can be difficult to let go of your children – let them go off with their friends and have social freedom, let them go to the shops on their own or walk to school – even letting them make choices for themselves.

I was thinking the other day about how much I have let go of my oldest son. I allow him to cross small roads on his own whilst I am watching, I let him make his own decisions within reason of what toy he buys at the toyshop and let him pay for it himself (using his pocket money). I also allow him to make decisions how he spends his time and I also let him be. I used to find the last one difficult but it is so important that we let our children be – to just get on with things without us orchestrating and organising them.

How easy do you find it to let go – give your child space to think for themselves and make choices?