A friend of mine was sharing that with me not too long ago. He was talking about his teen son who wasn’t treating him very well. Then he proceeded to tell me about some of the things he was doing. Well, feeling a tad bit uncomfortable, I said, “Who else have you told?” He said, “Everybody!” To which I said, “Well, maybe you should treat him with a little more respect. Maybe he’s just mimicking YOU.” Ouch. Well, after I said it, I apologized. But think about it. If we’re disrespecting our kids by telling friends about things they’re probably embarrassed about, maybe it makes them mad. And if they’re always mad, maybe that’s why they’re disrespectful. Jesus said it best in Matthew (and I paraphrase): “Whatever you want done to you, do to them” (Matthew 7:12).

Suggested Reading: Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31