Parenting Articles about Disrespect

Is your child or teen disrespectful? Are you tired of the backtalk and bad attitude? Empowering Parents tells you how to deal with disrespect in your home.
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Real Questions from Real Parents
Backtalk, Name-calling and Disrespect:
Can This Family Learn to Get Along?

Real Questions from Real Parents Backtalk, Name-calling and Disrespect: Can This Family Learn to Get Along?

Editor’s note: At the beginning of the year, we asked you, our readers, to send us real questions specific to your family’s situation. Our first article inour newseries, Real Questions from Real Parents, deals with something most parents can relate to: backtalk, name-calling and disrespect. All questions are answered by a member of our Parental Support Line team; each one a professional who specializes in coaching parents on techniques from The Total Transformation Program.

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Disrespectful Child Behavior?
Don't Take It Personally

Disrespectful Child Behavior? Don't Take It Personally

If you’ve heard yourself saying things like, “What’s the matter with you? Why are doing this to me?” or “You’re making me crazy,” you’re probably taking your child’s behavior personally. And when you fall into that trap, you begin to assume the worst of your child. In other words, you start to believe he has malicious intentions when he disobeys you, even when he doesn’t.

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Rudeness and Disrespect: How Kids Try to Defuse It

Rudeness and Disrespect: How Kids Try  to Defuse It

“I was just kidding! Can’t you take a joke?” If your child gives you this excuse after he’s said or done something rude, it might leave you feeling frustrated and unsure of how to handle the situation. Later, you might question yourself when he says, “But I didn’t mean it that way.” In this article, James Lehman explains why disrespect and inappropriate behavior are really nothing to laugh at—no matter what the excuse.

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Sassy Kids: How to Deal with a Mouthy Child

Sassy Kids: How to Deal with a Mouthy Child

Are you tired of disrespectful talk from your kids? Do your children respond with eye-rolling and sarcasm to everything you say? Most—if not all—kids go through phases when they are sassy, mouthy, or disrespectful. As a parent, it’s hard to know when to let it slide—and when to address the problem. James Lehman explains where to draw the line—and tells you how you can manage sassy talk in your home.

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Disrespectful Child Behavior: Where Do You Draw the Line?

Disrespectful Child Behavior: Where Do You Draw the Line?

As a parent, how do you know for sure if your child’s behavior has crossed the line and become truly disrespectful? I believe the distinction between mild rebelliousness and disrespect has to be drawn very clearly. And here’s how you determine whether or not your child has gone too far: when he is being rude or complaining that something isn’t fair, ask yourself, “Is my child expressing general frustration about the injustices or challenges of life, or is he being deliberately hurtful, condescending or abusive?”

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“My Blended Family Won’t Blend!” Part II: What to Do When Your Stepkids Disrespect You

My Blended Family Wont Blend! Part II: What to Do When Your Stepkids Disrespect You

This is part 2 of a two-part series by James Lehman, MSW on Blended Families. In this article, James discusses the importance of respectful behavior in a blended family, and how parents can achieve this from all the children in the family.

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Kids Who Mock, Imitate and Make Fun of Parents

Kids Who Mock, Imitate and Make Fun of Parents

Some kids make a game of teasing their parents. There are two contexts in which kids can mock, imitate or laugh. One is in the family setting of teasing each other. It happens all the time and it’s perfectly acceptable. But you should have boundaries about how much your kids can tease or mock you. The problem arises when kids tease or laugh at you in order to be disrespectful or rude, and to undermine your authority.

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Bullying Behavior: There's No Excuse For Abuse.

Parent Blogger There is no excuse for abuse. This is an important lesson in The Total Transformation, and one of the first things I put into law in my own home, once I began utilizing the tools and techniques taught by James Lehman. But what do you do when the same choices are not made in your friend’s home -- or in the home of your children's friends?
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Kidding Around...An Excuse for Inexcusable Behavior?

Parent Blogger “What? I was kidding.” I get this response when I ask my son to stop whatever inappropriate verbal or physical behavior he is doing at that moment.  I pause, tilt my head, and think, “Really?”  His behavior is anything but laughable.  It's usually disrespectful, scary, and sometimes dangerous.  And I'm getting tired of my kid kidding around.
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Switching Seats: A Day in 8th Grade (And What I Wish All Middle School Teachers Knew)

Parent Blogger As a former middle school teacher, I have spent hours in the classroom.  Those hours have all been leading the class.  I have taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grade.  I have substituted for seventh and eighth grades.  I love this middle school age group of eleven-to-thirteen.  (As a teacher, I mean.  As a parent, I find working with my own boys much more challenging!) 
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Ask the Parental Support Specialists: Can You Demand Respect from Your Kids?

Blogger Parents frequently call me on the Parental Support Line to discuss respect. Some will say, The ONLY thing I ask from my child is that they respect me. They reason that if they are respected, their child will do everything they are asked to do, will not say anything impolite, and will be motivated by positive feelings toward their parent. These are terrific goals, but I’ve started to ask people not to even use the word respect when they talk to their children about their behavior, and I'll explain why.
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