Today life has become very modern. The values and morals which we used to have in the earlier times have been fading with time. Our customs and traditions have an impact on modernization too. The respect which used to be given to the elders in the older times is also losing its value. With the increased inflow of money, everything seems to be disappearing. Elders who used to have a respectable position in the family and society have started to decrease with time. No one has time for anybody these days.
WHAT IS BEING DONE WITH THE OLD AGE PEOPLE THESE DAYS
Older people have been sent to old-age homes by their children. Parents, who are the pillars of society/family have been ignored. What is all this going on in our society? Where have our moral values gone? In today’s world, respect for one’s parents is an important life skill that seems to be falling by the wayside. This is a life skill that every child should have. We can see the way, children respond to their parents these days. When they are kids, they ignore them and when they grow, they treat them as useless fellows.
WHY RESPECTING ELDERS/PARENTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO CHILDREN
The children who had seen their parents respecting and caring for their grandparents, develop the feeling of care for their parents automatically. Such children, when grow to start caring for their parents. This becomes a custom in their family. The parents, who don’t care for their parents and want their children to obey and look after them when they grow old, is not possible. Then they start cursing themselves and start thinking about what went wrong with their parenting. They forget what they have done with their parents. It’s a give-and-take policy. It’s a very well-known proverb that what you sow is what you reap. So, start respecting your parents, if you want them to respect you.
IT ENCOURAGES PERSONAL GROWTH
Respecting parents means acquiring knowledge. Giving respect to others requires self-control. Self-control grows personal tools of mastery. This tool can also be used in getting out of complex situations in life, in the future. Each phase in the process of parent respect is an achievement. Such children develop self-confidence and self-esteem. Such children touch the heights in their professional life also.
WONDERS OF THESE BLESSINGS
The blessings which they earn from their parents work wonders in their lives also. Their social life and social status touch heights with the passage of time and life. Respect for elders is taught to children through daily experiences. If you make a child apologize when he/she yells at parents or insults them. This way the child sees the elders as someone who have value and must be given respect and paid attention to. How you treat elders/parents is the best example set before your children, which they surely will follow. Children are not good listeners. They are just intimate, what elders do. Such children are less demanding, less selfish, and less rude. Such children are easier to raise and are less likely to imbalance the family dynamics, allowing for happier life at home.
HOW TO SHOW RESPECT TO OUR PARENTS
A calculated fact is that the senior population, aged 67 or older, has more than doubled since 2014. So, taking care of them means a lot. You are paying respect to half of the population of the world. The ways to make this fraction of people happier are:
1. DEVOTE SOME TIME TO THEM
Always spare some time for your parents. Listening to their feelings and speaking with them i.e. spending some time with them make them have a feeling that they still are an important part of the family. Whenever they are speaking, don’t interrupt them. Listen to them carefully. Sometimes the elder family members feel lonely. When you sit with them and talk to them, their loneliness disappears and their hearts are filled with positive vibes. Listening to them means accepting their experience of decades. This conversation can be beneficial to both of you.
2. BE GENTLE AND POLITE TO THEM
Always be gentle and polite towards your parents. It demonstrates your respect towards them. Don’t address them by their first name until and unless permitted by them. Don’t sit beside them. Seek permission from them. After getting permission you can sit. Showing respect to them will not only brighten their day but your day also. You are going to be benefitted from the time you have spent with them.
3. TRY TO EAT TOGETHER
Always try to have your every meal with them. It is the greatest social custom that has been followed for centuries. Sometimes you can plan an outing with your family. This way, a feeling of one family is incurred in the mind of the elder family members. A sense of security is engulfed in them. This thought makes them comfortable and can live the rest of life without any sort of negative thoughts. When it was their turn, they guided you, taught you how to walk and everything. Now it’s your turn. Don’t run away from your responsibility otherwise time will never forgive you.
4. HAVE A CALL FREQUENTLY
If you are not with them because of any reason. Give them a call at least once a day. If they call you, pick up their call. It’s easy to forget the amount of meaning an elder will experience if you spare some time for them. Phone calls are another personal way of showing your love towards them.
5. ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR LIVES
You can ask them, when sitting together, about their experiences in life. I am sure you will listen to an astonishing story of their lives. This is up to you now, how to get benefit from it. Appreciate them and respect them. Even if your actions describe the fact still it is very much important to tell them that you appreciate, love, and respect them. It’s a well-known saying that if there is a senior who has positively impacted you, make sure to share this with them. It will give your elders a reason to smile.
6. ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE
Elders/parents are the wisest people in society. It’s not good to think that an elder, with a lifetime of experience, would be overlooked for their advice. As stated earlier that they have experience of decades with them. Don’t feel ashamed to seek their advice, when needed in life. Their advice will help you in coming out of a worse situation and the elder will feel delighted to feel his importance in the family.
In nutshell, family is the first place where a child learns to behave, walk, talk and live a mannered life. So it becomes the responsibility of both parents to engulf their children with moral values so that they can become good human beings in the future. Give respect and take respect.
Hope you will enjoy reading this article. Stay connected to read my next articles. Till hen Bye! God bless you all.