No matter how technologically advanced the world becomes, there are still some time-tested values that stand true online and offline.

Just as we teach young children the importance of knocking on doors and waiting for a response before invading peoples space; the need to understand their body parts and how to protect themselves from predators; the importance of asking for permission before taking what doesn’t belong to them, we must remember to teach children a key ingredient of healthy relationships – RESPECT!

Respect for others, respect for boundaries and a healthy dose of self-respect are values our children should imbibe from an early age. Particularly in this digital age where it is possible to invade other peoples privacy at the click of a button.

Remember parents, we must be intentional in parenting our children. Let’s not assume that they would know the right thing to do. Let’s not ignore disrespectful behaviour by telling ourselves  “they would grow out of it”.

Our children are being influenced by so many things they see in the media. If care is not taken, what is disrespectful behavior that should be frowned against, begins to appear normal and cute. Ain’t nothing cute about disrespect for self or others!

It is our responsibility to observe, correct and model respect. How do your children relate with their peers and other people in general? How do YOU relate to others? Do they understand the importance of respecting people regardless of their social status? Have you talked to them about respecting themselves and the negative effect some poor choices they make can have on the way people see and treat them?

Let’s reiterate the need for them to respect other people online and offline. Most importantly let’s model respect to them – respect for other people’s time, property, thoughts,  feelings, intellectual property, and private information. Reinforce the golden rule:

Our core value of the month is RESPECT & PRIVACY MANAGEMENT. At RAVE we remain committed to empowering children, teens & young adults to “do life” successfully.

Have an amazing June!

This blog is powered by RAVE Et Al (RAVE) a social enterprise that partners with parents, schools, government & other stakeholders to provide relevant capacity building programs for children/teens and young adults (ages 8 and above) in the area of values, life skills & digital citizenship education.

As the pioneer DQ Ambassador in Nigeria (first in Africa) and a member of the DQ Coalition, RAVE Et Al is championing the #DQEveryChild initiative in Nigeria. Our mission is to enhance our children’s Digital Intelligence Quotient (DQ) and set a global standard of digital citizenship for all children around the world.