Image: Flickr/Nicolas

“The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one.” (John Dryden)

The parent-child relationship is built on respect. Most of the time, when I say this in front of an audience, the parents will nod approvingly. However, I wonder if they’re thinking primarily about how kids need to respect their parents. That’s not necessarily what I mean when I say it.

I believe it is our job as parents to earn the respect of our kids by how well we recognize them as individuals, as separate persons in their own right — individuals with not only a mind of their own, but a life of their own. That’s the kind of respect that really serves as the foundation of a healthy parent-child relationship.