The 6 main keys to respectful parenting.

Respectful parenting is an educational style that will allow you to build healthy and strong bonds with your children and help them to be happy and independent. We show you the keys below.

More and more fathers and mothers are involved in the education of free and happy children. Instead of seeking blind obedience, as decades ago, more and more parents are banking on the courageous task of guiding human beings to develop their greatest potential. For these conscientious adults, that's what respectful parenting means.

We know that choosing a teaching style is not easy. Parents are bombarded with often conflicting opinions and advice on parenting from professionals, the media, and those close to them. However, there is a wealth of evidence supporting the benefits of respectful parenting. So today we want to share with you what it is all about.

The main keys to respectful parenting

The keys to respectful parenting are not steps to be applied in specific situations, but rather a way of life, a way of understanding parenting based on love, dignity, and, above all, centered on children.

Discover its fundamental principles below.

1. Maintain a responsive attitude

From the moment a child is born, primary caregivers must be sensitive to their needs and responsive to their requests. Being able to understand what the baby needs at all times and offer it to him in a consistent way are fundamental pillars for establishing a good bond of attachment. And, here, it is not only a question of taking care of the feeding or the hygiene of the infant but also of being able to recognize the emotional malaise of the baby and help him to regulate it.

These instructions must remain valid throughout childhood because each child needs to feel that he is seen by his parents, that he is understood, and that he will receive help and support from them each time he will need it.

If adults do not respond or respond in a hostile or inconsistent manner, the long-term emotional damage can be significant.

2. Achieve self-management and self-mastery

To apply respectful parenting, it is important to start by working on yourself. Indeed, to give your child what he needs, you must first invest in being your best version as a human being. To be this mother who knows how to be patient, who supports discomfort, and who can manage her own emotions so as not to fall into excesses and impulses.

These qualities are essential to be able to calm a child who is crying, shouting, and not listening. They are essential to be able to accompany him without resorting to the cries and other behaviors so natural and frequent among overwhelmed fathers and mothers. So start by working on yourself.

3. Raising from the child's point of view

Respectful parenting is tied to childhood, what it means to be a child, and how children view the world. Thus, do not perceive them as adults in miniature, but accept and adopt this other look: that of the child.

Raising with respect means understanding that little ones are loud, spontaneous, and emotional and also allowing them to be. It's paying attention to the evolutionary stage they're going through to understand why they're acting the way they do and what they're demanding at that time.

In this way, parents must inform themselves, feed on authors and reliable sources to understanding the psychology of the child, and be able to accompany him without restricting it.

4. Build horizontal relationships, one of the main keys to respectful parenting

From this paradigm, children and adults do not establish a hierarchical relationship, but a horizontal one. That is, both are considered equally worthy of affection, respect, and understanding.

Parents should treat their children with dignity and not apply in their upbringing anything that they would not like to receive. Thus, physical punishment is completely out of place and any correction must be done conscientiously, knowing what one is trying to teach through it and not out of sheer inertia from having lost one's calm.

Similarly, children are not expected to obey simply because they are small or because they are considered "inferior" to their parents. On the contrary, they are made to participate in the explanations, the decisions, and the consequences. We seek to ensure that they understand and learn, and not just submit to the discipline of their elders.

5. Practice empathy and offer love

Love and empathy are the foundations of respectful parenting and how to respond in interactions with even the most difficult children.

It's not just about giving them physical affection, words of encouragement, and presence, but also being able to empathize with them when they get difficult.

If a child is having a tantrum in the middle of the street, it is natural for the parents' impulse to be angry, scream or drag the child home. However, this parenting style encourages us to stop for a moment to understand how the little one feels and ask ourselves what he expects of us and not what we expect of him.

In this case, after doing this analysis, we will understand that it requires patience, companionship, and listening on our part. He needs us to help him put a name to what he feels, validate it (give him permission to feel it and express it) and teach him how to channel it better. Thus, educating in emotional intelligence is a fundamental key.

6. Promote autonomy

Finally, remember that respectful parenting aims to guide and support the child so that he develops his full potential. Thus, it is essential to promote their autonomy from the first years, either in their participation in the making of certain decisions or the realization of certain actions by themselves. This, of course, is always within the margin of parental supervision and with circumstances adapted to their age.

In short, it is about avoiding over protection and dependence on the child and, on the contrary, favoring the opportunities to become a resolute person who has confidence in his abilities.

Respectful parenting produces happy and emotionally healthy children

This educational style brings many benefits and helps children to be more independent, happier, and more confident.

If they know they are loved, listened to, and respected, they develop a sense of trust in themselves and others, which also allows them to maintain healthy relationships. This is reflected, mainly, in the bond between parents and children, which is generally strong and close, facilitating coexistence and helping to create a positive climate in the home.

So, we encourage you to start applying the principles of respectful parenting today. This decision will be the greatest gift you will give to your children.

Read Also:

What is responsive parenting? Experts say it's about 'breaking the cycle of disrespect