Have your parents ever told you a story from when they were kids? Either you complain about having to walk to school, or you’re upset about having to do chores, parents often come back with a story from their childhood. I think we have all gotten “I walked 10 miles uphill to school and back and didn’t complain.” While this may or may not be true, it stresses that expectations of youth were definitely different when our parents were kids. Growing up in my household, both my brothers and I were held to an attainable yet effective standard. We were expected to do our chores, get ourselves up for school, clean our rooms, do our own homework, and never had an allowance. In my opinion, these are all reasonable expectations of a child, and they developed a valuable skill set that shaped the person I am today.
Respecting parents and people older than us used to be a huge expectation, and it should still be expected today, but for some reason, it is not. When it comes to your elders, like your grandparents or your parents, respecting these people and treating them as the adults they are is a life lesson that I believe all kids should be taught. I see children treat their elders as if they have no authority over them whatsoever. I see kids yell at their parents and grandparents. I see kids completely ignore instructions. Yes, standards change, and the media has a very high effect on children in this generation. According to Psychology Today, our media and culture often encourage disrespectful behavior in children.
Am I saying kids need to grow up quicker? No, I actually believe kids are growing up too fast, or think they are older than they actually are. I rarely see younger kids act their age, and I understand wanting to do, wear, or say what older kids are, but we shouldn’t normalize a 10-year-old acting 16. For example, one trend that went viral on social media platforms this year was “Sephora kids.” Referring to children who act indecently in shops and department stores. I have seen and heard things about kids stealing from department stores, disrespecting workers, other people in the store, and even their own parents. I’ve seen videos of kids screaming at their parents to buy them a 50 dollar item, and when I look at the comments, some people think this is a funny aspect of entertainment. I don’t believe this is funny whatsoever, and normalizing children bossing their parents around or simply not even saying please and thank you isn’t OK.
Simple manners and common decency are often forgotten. Say thank you when someone does you a favor. Fold the laundry if your mom asks you to. Help your neighbor with their groceries; it does not matter the context. You never know the day someone else is having, and showing some civility or simply helping someone out can go a long way in the world. No matter who you are, there is absolutely no reason we should be disrespecting other people. Whether it’s disrespect towards your peers, parents, co-workers or teachers, it shouldn’t be acceptable in any setting.
Respecting people, especially when it comes to teachers, is extremely important to me. Educators are there to help prepare you for your academic future. There is no context in which any student should be treating one of their teachers similar to how they treat friends and other peers. Simply calling one of your teachers “bro” or talking while they are teaching the class are some of the smallest yet most disrespectful things a student can do. The least we can do is respect them and give them the 45-90 minutes they ask of us.
Being well-mannered and respectful during your youth creates teenagers and future adults who will be respectful and distinguished human beings. Lets have an appreciation for the people older than us and treat both our peers and elders with sincere respect.
