As new parents, I think every one of us struggles with parenting concepts.  That every parent you meet will have their own opinion about the “right” way to parent only adds to the confusion.  When that first baby is born, at least half of the grand ideas we had fly right out the window when reality slaps us in the face and says, “Hey, you had no idea what you were getting into, did you?”

I certainly had my share of changed visions.  My cute little nursery with a cute little crib saw exactly zero nights of use, despite how sure I was that it was the best choice.  That little angel face changed everything, and it took us three long years to finally get him into his own bed.

The one thing I can say that has stayed constant since before he was born was the concept of respect.  I spent a lot of time during and after my pregnancy, mulling over what I thought could have been improved upon in my own upbringing.  I came to the conclusion that the single key to raising happy, confident children is respect.  Respect is something just about everyone could do with a little more of, but most of all our children.

Sure, there is a whole lot more to parenting than that single idea, but I think basing your relationship with your child on respect will help the rest of the little details fall into place.  When you are faced with how to handle discipline, think of what a respectful parent would do.  When you are tempted to ignore your child as he eagerly recounts his day, imagine how you would respond were it your spouse doing the excited talking.

I certainly don’t have it all right, but I think Aretha Franklin was definitely onto something, and if we could base our parenting philosophy on R-E-S-P-E-C-T, we might find that things are a little less difficult than we imagined.