Respect

Do you remember how your child grew right before your eyes. In just one year your child learned billions of things.

• Possibly by three months your child was looking at you and staring you in your face, learned to suck with ease, smiled when you smiled or spoke, and was able to lift his/her head off the floor or mattress when laid on his/her belly. 
• By six months your child was possibly rolling over from back to belly, holding his/her own head steadily, reaching for a toy or playing with his/her feet. I'm sure your child was expressing what he/she liked or disliked. 
• By twelve months, your child was possibly pulling him/herself up or walking on own, copying sounds, feeding him/herself, and interacting with you more. Your child let you know they understand you by reaching out, giving you more eye contact, and gentle and sometimes not so gentle touches. 

What we gave our children at these times and more over the years is respect and the chance to grow by allowing them to push past boundaries. There has been many times my child/ren did something on their own that I thought was miraculous.  As parents, we respected the choices they made when they spit out their food because they didn't want more. We respected their space when they were trying to pull up or walk by stepping back and encouraging them. We respected our children's time by allowing them to sleep even though we wanted them awake to look at us, coo, and lie on our shoulders.

As teenagers, our children are still learning. They are still miraculously figuring out different aspects of their own lives. As parents, we should respect our children. I am not saying to give them their way. But just as we did by placing pillows on the side of the couch or bed just in case our baby rolled over when you stepped away, cupping our children's hand on the bottle and holding their fingers to show them they can do it on their own, stepping back just a little to allow your child to take steps; we can still facilitate respect in a way that encourages your child to mature and maintain a positive relationship. It is all in the way we communicate.