Should We Really Teach Our Kids to Respect Everyone? (Ep. 6)

This episode is inspired by a YouTube video by Fr. Mike Schmitz at Ascension Presents in which he answers the question: Do Catholics have to respect everyone? What about those people who are rude to us or just don’t have a good character? Do we have to respect them?

Fr. Mike says that YES we do. However, people think there’s only one kind of respect, when, in fact, there are three. Different levels of respect demand different responses from us.

I was thinking about how this applies to us as parents, and how we can teach our kids about respecting others even when it’s hard. In this episode I break down Fr. Mike’s 3 levels of respect for you, and then I offer my thoughts as a parent.

• Level 1: Respect owed to all human beings. Our response: justice. Give the person what is due them (don’t cheat them or lie about them). Every human being deserves this level of respect because they have dignity as human beings created in the image of God.
• Level 2: Respect owed to persons in specific offices (police officers, bosses, clergy). Our response: service. Respect them by serving the office, even if they are not very good at their job.
• Level 3: Respect earned because somebody has demonstrated great character. Our response: trust. This respect is earned, so it can be lost.

Resources

Fr. Mike: Do Catholic Have to Respect Everyone?

20 Teachable Virtues by Barbara C. Unell and Jerry Wychkoff