Each parent wonders how to make their kid a good human being. How do we teach them to be sensitive and respectful, compassionate, and kind? We need to teach our sons from a young age to respect every girl or woman if she’s your sister, mother, your school friend, college friend, your wife or even any girl or woman you will meet for the first time. Let’s become a generation that teaches our sons to respect women instead of teaching our daughters to be careful.
Teach our boys the value of women in their life. For boys to become well-rounded men, they must learn the importance of showing respect. Teaching your son to respect women starts at an early age and as parents, your influence is crucial. The example you set at home – the bond between a mother and son, the respect a father shows his wife – will affect your son’s perception of respect.
Real Women Share Tips To Raise Good Sons
TC46 put out a post on Instagram here saying “Strong mothers raise stronger children!” And received a ton of comments where women shared their parenting experiences! Here are the 10 best tips that many parents use to teach their sons to respect women, shared by our followers!
“Consent goes a long way! I’ve always taught my kids to ask for permission. No matter what you think, always have a clear conversation before initiating anything.” – Amita*
“Basic human decency is what I believe in and what my children believe now! Never disrespect or discriminate anyone on the basis of gender.” – Chelsia*
“I make a point to ask my sons about how they’re feeling about things. My son mirrored this back to me recently when I asked him to calm down and he replied, crying, that it’s good for him to cry and that he’s allowed to cry! I hope this makes him good at empathy and validate other people’s emotions.” – Shivani*
“Sometimes it becomes difficult for children to see the right and wrong clearly, so I always suggest them to ask themselves if they would like to be treated in a certain way. This has helped my kids navigate.” – Nimita*
“My kids love helping me out at home, so, I always divide chores in my house equally. Everything is done by both, my daughter and son. This helps them realise that there is no fixed task that only a certain gender can do.” – Ruhi*
“We all know that kids mirror things. So, my family and I try to be good role models for them, my husband doesn’t disrespect me and I don’t disrespect him. This method easily teaches children that they need to be respectful and also be respected by others.” – Akansha*
“Talk about boundaries. That conversation is never too early. Even with young children, parents can emphasize that people have a right to say no to someone else touching their body. These are the building blocks of how boys consider personal space and boundaries later.” – Katyayni*
“My son would read something or other about feminism and then come ask questions. I always keep it as a rule for myself, to be honest with him. Recently the gap in wages came to his attention and I calmly taught him about it and did research with him. As a parent, I try my best not to dismiss his questions and fuel on to his curiosity.” – Tanisha*
“One time, my daughter was crying and my son asked her to stop because others will think she is weak. That was like an eye-opener for me, since then I have validated my son’s emotions and made him realise that it’s okay to cry.” – Ishika*
“Show that all women can achieve success — whatever their choices. Share your goals and aspirations with your children. Tell them that you believe you can achieve whatever you aspire to with enough focus and hard work. The fact that you are a mother, or even a woman, is beside the point.” – Himani*
“This might be unconventional for many mothers, but I talked to my children about porn and sex. I let him know that pornography exists, that people might want to show it to them, that others might think it’s funny but it teaches bad things. Let them know it’s not real.”- Shalini*
“Sometimes you have to take the difficult road and call your kids out for sexism, not with anger but explain them with compassion. Tell them when they’re wrong, let them know sexism is not cool and it is not funny.” – Ruchi*
“I remind my son that when movies, games and other types of content exhibit women as one-dimensional objects, it is not accurate or reflective of the real world. We live in a digital world, so we need to make sure that any wrong influence is not within the reach of our kids.” – Namisha*
Ultimately, regardless of everything that we say, it is what we do that makes the biggest impact on our sons’ respectfulness. What roles you play in your children’s lives will set the scene for ongoing behaviour from your kids. Surround your boys with good influence. Be a great example yourself. These are our best options. Let’s teach our sons well. If you have any other tips, let us know in the comments.
Disclaimer: Please note that the responses have been translated and edited for clarity. Names have been changed to respect privacy.
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