Children need to be respecting authority and listening to others to integrate into society.
We all follow certain rules and customs and must pass this knowledge to our children, like obeying the law.
Acknowledging rules and customs doesn’t happen naturally and must be taught down through the generations.
It’s vital children be raised with a healthy respect for the older and authority figures in any society.
They must also be law-abiding and respectful of others authority.
Children’s Development And Respecting Authority
Piaget’s model of child development suggests that children are shaped by their environment as they grow and develop.
They show natural qualities inherent in all of us and will achieve certain milestones as they grow.
Learning continues as they move from infancy to childhood and even as adults.
We begin to learn respect from our parents and often other adult role-models in our lives.
These people are our authority figures as we’re growing up and it’s important to learn from them.
We will add this learned respect to all others that we see as authority figures.
General respect for authority goes back to knowing the rules and customs within our community.
Without learning what should or shouldn’t be accepted, we risk falling into a system ruled by disobedience and defiance.
Why Should Children Respect Authority?
Children may struggle to accept the need to obey certain rules and be respecting authority if not taught early.
We need parents and teachers to accept that children will question and test rules as they develop. They may become defiant if not allowed to test their boundaries and learn consequences.
Raising children to respect the law and authority figures is essential. It gives children the ability to be a healthy part of society as teenagers and then adults.
As we get older we are expected to behave as law-abiding citizens. We must obey rules and customs and show respect for our elders.
Teenagers and adults who miss these lessons may find it difficult to “fit-in.”
When Should Children Be Respecting Authority?
I would say all the time, but let’s have a closer look.
If children are disrespectful to the police or don’t follow workplace policies they need to know there will be consequences.
Having a bad attitude or ignoring rituals and customs of society will negatively affect how they interact with others.
Worst-case scenarios include being ostracized from family and friends, losing one’s job or going to jail,.
When children aren’t respecting authority and don’t follow rules they often develop into unruly adults.
They risk leading difficult lives and will put a strain on societies resources that could have been put to better use.
It is important to teach children to have respect for their peers, elders, and recognized authority figures in their lives.
Healthy Skepticism
This doesn’t mean we can’t allow a healthy skepticism and have children question authority occasionally. But understand, there are right and wrong ways to question authority.
Children and young adults need to accept that there are levels of authority and respect them. The way a child will discuss assignments or grades with a teacher should different to answering a police officer.
Where police are involved, children must learn to respond cordially and obediently while always respecting authority.
Parents should teach them not to be rude or aggressive as this could result in fines or being arrested.
Our bottom line is that parents, teachers, and other adults have a responsibility to ensure children are respecting authority.
When they are part of the adult world they will be expected to follow laws and rules just like the rest of us.
No one wants to hear about a young adult getting hurt or detained because of ignorance of the law.
Let’s try to raise our children to be respectiing authority.
Read more about improving kid’s behaviours.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
