Teaching my sons to respect women starts with how I treat their mom

1w ago1 min read

Been thinking a lot lately about what my boys are learning from watching me. I realized I was checking my phone during conversations with my wife, making decisions without asking her input, not helping around the house like it was my job. My oldest probably absorbed all of that without me even knowing it. So I'm trying to be more intentional. Lead her, serve her, listen to her. Show my kids what a real marriage looks like. It's not some perfect Instagram thing, we still argue and figure stuff out, but they see me valuing their mom and I think that matters more than anything I could say to them about respect.

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Comments(9)

RRobertRegular1w ago

Man, this hits home. I'm watching everything my daughter will learn from how I show up, and it's making me more intentional too. Putting the phone down is such a simple thing but it says so much.

NNolan D.Regular1w ago

You nailed it. My boys are always watching, and they're picking up on how I interact with their mom way more than anything I could tell them. Good on you for catching this early.

BBrett M.New Dad6d ago

So important man. I coach youth soccer and I see it all the time with the dads who are all aggressive on the sidelines then wonder why their sons aren't respectful. It starts with us.

JJasonRegular6d ago

This is the stuff that matters. My boys are watching how I handle frustration, how I talk about their mom even on tough days, all of it. Kids learn respect way more from what they see than what we tell them.

CChrisRegular6d ago

That's real growth. Takes guts to admit that and change it. Your kids are going to model the respect you're showing their mom.

BBrett M.New Dad6d ago

Love this. My ex and I don't get along great but I make sure my boys see me treating her with basic kindness and respect. It matters way more than I thought it would.

MMike R.Regular5d ago

This is the stuff that actually sticks with them long-term. Not the big speeches but the small ways you show up for people. Respect is taught through example.

MMichaelRegular5d ago

Been thinking about this a lot with my co-parenting situation. How my kids see me treat their mom even though we're not together anymore sets the tone for everything. Good post.

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JJason T.Regular6d ago

This right here. Our boys learn respect by watching how we treat the women in our lives, even if we're not together anymore. I've been trying to be more intentional about this too.