365: Respect Day

September 18 is Respect Day. Respect is a concept that is pretty hard to explain to a child, especially one under two, but we decided to tackle the concept today to celebrate.

I thought that the easiest thing to work on respecting was nature, so we went on our Nature Walk Wednesday trip to LaBoiteaux Woods surrounded by all sort of nature. Jude is full out walking now. This makes any time in nature, or public really, difficult. I used phrases like "let's be respectful of mama" and "let's be respectful of our boundaries" as I chased Jude down a literal hill and through a field. When I finally caught up to him, I took the time to explain that being respectful in this situation means to stay close to me.

Maybe it resonated with Jude, or maybe he was tired, because he stayed pretty close to me after that. We met some dogs, or as Jude calls them "moo's", and I modeled what respected a dog's boundaries looked like. We finished up by talking about how we respect plants by not tearing them out of the ground or damaging them in any way.

While I do feel like Jude is too young to truly grasp the idea of respect, it is a good conversation to start having. It is also never too early to model what respect looks like. I try to be respectful of Jude's time, concerns, bodily autonomy, and feelings each day.

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365: Respect Day