Having self respect is to have pride and knowledge of one's own worth, to value one's self.

To have due respect for oneself, one's character, and one's conduct.

Respect is earned, not given.

Those with respect for themselves are less prone to regret, blame, guilt, shame, and secretive behaviour.

Self respect is the cornerstone on which many other attributes are built such as honesty, confidence, and integrity.

Self respect reflects the level of love we have for ourselves.

Self Respect -
How Do We Learn To Respect Ourselves?

Children learn from individuals who have a high respect for themselves.

A child's first teachers are his parents - it is their self respect which is modeled and absorbed, and becomes the pattern and example to be emulated.

As you feel and show repsect for yourself, your child is being taught how to feel about him/her self.

Self respect is not about what we do, but who we are. It is about feeling valued, just because we are.

The more children are around people who feel good about themselves, the more they can emulate this important truth.

Self Respect -
Teaching Children About Respect For Themselves

Children need to be taught right from the beginning that this is part of their personal armour of positive attributes.

We can help them to do so by naming it for them.
For instance, when we see our child do a respectful act, either for himself or for another, we can highlight this for him in language by saying,

"I noticed your respect for yourself as you took such good care of yourself today".

"You obviously have respect for yourself as you were able to say no to your friend so clearly".

"Making a good decision will confirm your self respect".

Respect is the benchmark upon which our values and morals are shaped. It is important to teach our children to be true to themselves.

How many of us know the rest of this quotation from Shakespeare's Hamlet? To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.

If we find it difficult to love and cherish ourselves, we find it hard to love and cherish others.

Self Respect -
The Importance of Respecting Yourself

It follows that if we have no self respect it is difficult to respect others.

These positive emotions such as self esteem, self confidence, and self respect are part of the whole sense of our self image.

Having self respect allows us to be more accepting of others' differences, to see people as people regardless of culture, class or creed and to understand the golden rule, "Do to others as you would have them do to you".

If we are 'topped up' emotionally, we are able to give out to others from the overflow.

N0 Self Respect

People with no self admiration or self value find it difficult to have respect for others, for property, boundaries, animals and for values and morals.

If we have low self esteem and little respect for ourselves it follows that our presence around others tends to be filled with a need for attention. We 'need' others to fill our emotional vacuum and then we blame them when they leave us feeling unfilled.

Only we ourselves are able to top up our emotional tanks. Others can help us to feel good about ourselves but unless we actually take it on board as a personal belief, actually make it our own, then we are left feeling empty.

Self Respect Quotes

• Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better?
  Jane Nelson
  


• If I despised myself, it would be no compensation if everyone saluted me, and if I respect myself, it does not trouble me if others hold me lightly.
  Max Nordau
  
• If you want to be respected by others the great thing is to respect yourself. Only by that, only by self-respect will you compel others to respect you.
  Dostoyevsky
  
  
• Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.
  Laurence Sterne
  

Read about: The Definition of Respect - What is your definition of respect? The dictionary defines respect as meaning admiration, high opinion, esteem, value, reverence and regard. The opposite is disrespect, disregard, and contempt.

Raising Confident Children

Boosting self esteem.

Self Esteem Affirmations

From Self Respect back to Raising Children