Super Important! How to teach children to honor their parents

Do you know that Japan is one of the top 5 countries in the world with the longest life expectancy?

Many people believe that their clean diets have lots to do with their longevity. I think both, diet and a promise from God is what keeps them living a long life.

Japanese people have a great deal of honor and respect for their parents and their elders and that is when this promise from God comes to be true in their lives:

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12

This is the first commandment with a promise on the bible. So it is very important to God that we honor our parents.

As parents, we want our children to live a long life, we want them to be blessed and to see God’s promises fulfilled in their life.

That’s the reason why it is so important for us to teach our children to honor their parents.

When our children honor us it not only blesses us but it will bless them even more later in life.

Here are 21 ways that will help you teach your kids to honor their parents. But first let’s define honor.

Honor: to treat someone with admiration and respect. To give a special recognition. Implies profound respect mingled with love, devotion or awe.

1. Set the example by honoring your parents

How do you treat your parents and your grandparents? Do you go out of your way to honor them? The best way to teach your kids to honor their parents is to lead by example.

Treat your parents the same way you would like your kids to treat you. Model the behavior that you want your kids to follow. It will bless you, your parents and your children!

2. Do not allow your child to hit you

There is never a good reason for this behavior to be acceptable. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our kids what is right and what is wrong and hitting their parents is wrong. It should never under any circumstance be allowed.

It is disrespectful and it goes against what God has established.

If your child hits you it is because you have allowed them to treat you that way. But don’t worry, it is never too late to fix things and make it right.

3. Do not let your kids scream at you

Sometimes when we scream we feel more powerful and that is one of the reasons why children scream.

But when your child screams at you they are disrespecting you. So, first you have to model the behavior by not screaming at your kids (this is hard I know).

Second, just ask them to lower their voice because they are being disrespectful. Lastly, be very strict about this and let them know that every time they scream they will have consequences.

Remember, it’s easier to set rules and boundaries while the kids are little, that way they know what behavior is expected of them.

4. Treat children with love and respect

You are your child’s hero so they are going to want to be just like you, talk like you and act just like you.

When you treat your children with love and respect they learn that this is the way to treat people. Again, be an example!

5. No name calling

Idiot, stupid, dumb, retard and many more names like this should never be the way that you talk to your kid.

First of all, because God gave you your kids for you to nurture them, teach them and build them up not tear them down with your words.

Second, because you are damaging their self-esteem and your words become their inside voice.

Third, because words have power. The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue, so speak life over your children.

Lastly, because you reap what you sow, so if you call your children ugly names don’t be surprise when they start disrespecting you by calling you ugly names also.

6. Teach them to serve their parents

Simple things like asking their dad if he is thirsty and bring him a drink. Open restaurant doors for parents. Help mom carry the groceries. Ask to help dad when he is fixing things around the house.

You want to plant this kind of behavior in their hearts. Serving others will always bring blessing especially if you are serving your parents.

7. Say I love you

Teach your kids to be loving by telling them how much you love them. It doesn’t matter if they are babies or they are adults. Don’t miss an oportunity to tell them what they mean to you, how proud you are of them, and how much you love them.

8. Buy Presents

One of the ways to teach children to honor their parents is by acknowledging their special days like birthdays, Father and Mother’s Day. and buy presents for them.

Teach them to always buy something especial for them, it doesn’t have to be expensive but it needs to be thoughtful. Teach them to be givers!

9. Teach children to show gratitude and appreciation

Just because you are mom it doesn’t mean that they don’t have to say thank you when you serve them food.

By leaning gratitude, children become sensitive to the feelings of others, developing empathy and other life skills along the way.

Barbara Lewis

Children are by nature self-centered but thankfulness is an antidote to selfishness.

Kids that are taught to be grateful appreciate everything that their parents do for them. A 2003 study at the University of California at Davis showed that grateful people report higher levels of happiness and optimism along with lower level of stress and depression.

So, teaching them to be grateful will benefit them in the future.

10. Chores

It’s never too early to get kids started on chores, once a child turns 3 he or she can do many simple chores like picking up their toys, put their cups in the sink and help sort clothes for laundry.

Kids benefit greatly from having chores, here are just a few of those benefits:

1. Learn basic life skills.
2. Instills in them responsibility and work ethic.
3. They honor their parents by helping them with the work load.
4. Gives them purpose.
5. Teaches them discipline and independence.

11. Good Communication

Having great communication with your kids is a must. They need to know that you are there for them no matter what. They need to feel free to tell you everything knowing that you will always love them and have wise advice for them.

So, put the phone, the computer and the tv remote down and start spending quality time with your kids, this will open the lines of communication.

Try not to judge, yet listen and guide and ask God to help you communicate better with your kids.

12. Teach them to pray for their parents

One way to teach kids to honor their parents is by teaching them how to pray for them. Remember to teach them that prayer is just a conversation with God.

13. Forgiveness

Teach your kids about forgiveness. They need to know that everybody in this world will fail them even their parents because we are all imperfect. Only Jesus will never fail them.

They need to know that we as parents always try our best and make decisions out of love that sometimes are not the right ones because we make mistakes too.

So when you mess up make sure to ask your kids for forgiveness and be quick to forgive too.

14. Obedience

Kids need to be taught that obedience brings blessing. Obedience was ordained by God for our own good.

When they choose to obey they are not only honoring us as parents they are also bringing blessing to their life and setting themselves up for success.

Here are a few tips that will help you with obedience

1. Set rules, expectations and responsibilities.
2. Make sure your kids understand all of the above.
3. Praise them when they are being obedient.
4. Model behavior.
5. Remember that you have authority because it was given to you by God.

15. Stay connected as family

In our house we always eat dinner together, we watch family movies together, we go camping together, we go to the movies as a family. Why? because I want us to stay connected as a family.

You can live in the same house and not be connected to your family. Connection and bonding makes a family strong.

Spend quality time together. Make every day count. Be interested in each others lives and support each other.

One day, they will grow up and move away but if you make an effort now to be connected as a family, you will reap what you have sown.

16. Teach them to address you properly

Some say that it is cool to call your parents by their first name, Honestly I think that is super weird. You are not Martha or John, you are mom and dad.

God didn’t give you your kids for you to be their cool friend. He gave them to you for you to be their parent, their guide, their teacher and their protector.

So, teach your kids to address you properly.

17. Honoring your parents means caring and provision

Teach your kids that properly honoring their parents includes caring for them and providing for them with financial support when they are old.

Remember that you are teaching your kids and guiding them in the way they should go. According to the word of God, caring and providing for the parents is pleasing to God.

Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God might not be something you do, but someone you raise.

Andy Stanley

It’s not easy being a parent, there is a huge responsibility on our shoulders to raise the kind of men and women that will glorify God with their lives.

It takes hard work but it is worth it. When we teach children to honor their parents we are setting them up for success, blessings and a long life.

Don’t forget to comment and share and check out more posts that will help you parent your kids, for example: How to teach kids common sense, and Biblical truths every child must know.