appreciate is one thing, respect is another.

i recently did some reading on respect. why? going on my 18th year of marriage my wife and i are working through a new phase in our relationship and “RESPECT” is one of her words of choice.

anyways, what i came to understand, at least from experience with my wife, is that respect seems to mean “not to question!”

i have a sense that it is through eyes of “deferance,” or to say it another submission or courteous, that she sees respect. i do not see respect as such, as it feels “empty” to me.

this may be commonly held as “the thing” to do by virtue of age or ones role. still, i would rather seek to apperciate another’s differing perspective than give up my voice under the pretense of respect.

this feels like it is something akin to the discussion regarding “freedom of speech,” atleast for me.

don’t be to “hard” on yourself. it takes two in any relationship. parenting isn’t a science and there isn’t a road map. the same could easily be said about being “the child.”

i don’t know that “respect” is a requirement, rather a result of caring.

love, for me, does not mean “respect.” appreciation and acceptance maybe options that are waiting for you to explore…distinction that are very clear for me.

good luck on the work you have to do and congratulations for being willing.

james

Being a teen and trying to respect your parents can be so difficult, at least for me it is. Not sure if your a teen but even if you aren’t I think respecting my parents should be a given. I really haven’t figured out why I don’t.