“Show respect even to people you think don’t deserve it; not as a reflection of their character, but a reflection of YOURS.”

Respect. I think it goes out the window with teenagers. The back talk and sass you get is enough to drive you bonkers.

I guess it’s a little payback though, because I was a pretty sassy teen, and even now I cringe when I hear one of my kids say something that I KNOW they have learned from me. But, as an adult, you at least understand when you need to shape up (or hopefully you understand) and be a little bit more respectful.

But teens, I think you need to teach it. Actively.

Sometimes my kids will tell me stories about teachers at school, or people they meet and have discussions with and I will actually agree with them that the teacher was wrong, or the person didn’t know what they were talking about —-BUT, that does not mean you get to treat someone disrespectfully. This is what I feel they have a hard time understanding. Just because you may not agree with someone, and may think they really are acting completely “stupid”, doesn’t give you license to be disrespectful.

Why? Because respect is a reflection of YOU. And truthfully, everyone deserves it, even if you don’t think so. You aren’t perfect yourself, but you too also deserve respect. When you treat someone unkindly, disrespectfully, dishonestly, manipulatively, or unfairly, it shows very little about who that person is as a person  – but says A LOT about who you are. It’s truly a reflection of your own character.