The late Rodney Dangerfield’s “I don’t get no respect” jokes were pretty funny. But it’s no laughing matter when a teenager is disrespectful toward his parents.

While it’s true that you can’t force your child to respect you, treating someone with respect is an entirely different matter.

Showing respect is a conscious decision, regardless of whether you like someone or not. And expecting our teens to be respectful should have nothing to do with how they feel at the moment.

So if your teen’s been showing signs of disrespect, let him know that things are gonna be different from now on. The longer you wait to address the problem, the worse it will become.

Requiring respect now will teach your teen to apply civil behavior in all areas of life.

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