Sarah Harte: Too many parents are failing to teach their children basic respect

Happily, we've moved on from labelling children as 'good' or 'bad' — but parents must be able to tell them their behaviour is 'right' or 'wrong'

Parents today do listen to their children. However, mothers and fathers must also be able to say 'no', and help them develop respect for others, including teachers. Picture: iStock

It's easy to critique other parents when out of the parenting trenches and off the frontline of the teenage years, which can be hairy. Senior citizens tend to look back with rose-tinted glasses. 

Comments along the lines of “in my day, people showed a level of basic respect” can be irritating, given that there was a time in Ireland when young people showed respect out of fear.