Why Should Teens Respect Their Elders?
Respecting elders is a crucial aspect of many cultures as a way to honor the experience and contributions of its older citizens. Some parents might run into resistance when trying to teach teens to respect their elders. Teens naturally embrace youth culture, so describing reasons why teens should respect their elders could require some preparation. Parents who want to encourage teens to respect elders can discuss this goal explicitly, but can also model respect by interacting with older citizens in positive, productive and respectful ways.
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Preparation
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When teens learn about respect and tolerance during adolescence, it can help them to become respectful, tolerant adults, according to the Southern Utah University article, ̶0;Research and Theory on Respect and Disrespect: Catching Up with the Public and Practitioners.̶1; When children learn to respect their parents, they later transfer that respect to teachers and other adults in their lives. Understanding that elders are sources of wisdom and experience during the teen years might increase the chances that later, as adults, they will teach their own children to respect their elders.
Appropriate Behavior
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Attitudes affect behavior, so if teens don̵7;t respect their elders it could lead to poor decision-making in the community. In the Daily Strength.org article ̶0;Do Children Still Respect Their Elders?̶1; pediatrician Jeremy Shapiro states that adolescents can take inappropriate or dangerous actions in public based on a lack of respect for elders. Teens might feel comfortable telling parents to ̶0;Shut up,̶1; leading to disrespecting rules and guidelines they have established for their own safety. Teens might not feel obligated to give their seat to an older person on a bus, or could react violently when elders give them directions or orders.
Perspective
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Teens sometimes feel that they don̵7;t owe respect to elders because older people have made mistakes or contributed to societal ills, as described by the 2011 Young Americans for Liberty article, ̶0;The ̵6;Respect Your Elders̵7; Fallacy.̶1; Parents can explain that regardless of a teen̵7;s personal perspective, they are still part of a family unit that does value the contributions of elders. Regardless of the teenager̵7;s actual respect level, parents can still require that teens at least demonstrate respect for elders as part of their responsibility in the family. Parents might require, for example, that their teenager write a thank-you card to an elder aunt who has sent a birthday gift because not to do so would reflect poorly on the family.
Cultural Background
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Respecting elders is one way to honor and celebrate one̵7;s past, according to the 2013 In Culture Parent.com article, ̶0;How I Raise My Kids to Respect Their Elders, Nigerian Style.̶1; When teens engage with elder family members in a positive way, they can learn more about their own history and the struggles and triumphs of their family tree. Cultural awareness within their own family can extend to interest and compassion to elders from other families within other cultures, creating a general appreciation and respect for other people.
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