Give respect, get respect... A very familiar phrase for many of us, and others seem to have thrown this phrase to the wind... Yes ma'am , No sir , Yes sir , and no ma'am , growing up our parents harped on the importance of these short and simple phrases , and as we've grown up we either stick to it or we have become blind to the meaning . It breaks my heart to see people my age who have become completely disrespectful to the people who raised them... I've grown up a lot in 20 years and through all this time I can tell you that my parents , biological and step , have disagreed from time to time however I have never , and will never talk down about them . Everyone makes mistakes , and as parents mistakes are common . No one intentionally messes up and no one tries to disappoint anyone, however it's life, it happens. So as I quickly approach the arrival of my daughter the importance of respect weighs heavy on my heart . I go forward everyday knowing that I'm going to make mistakes as a parent and that's okay. As my daughter grows up I want her to respect me, her father , as well as all the other people she encounters throughout her life. I want her to know that people make mistakes and that she too will make her own mistakes in time and I want to assure her that is okay . Life will move quickly and moments will fly but I hope that in every situation she learns something that I feel is slowly dissolving in the generation I grew up in , Respect. We have to remember this while raising our children , "they will follow in our footsteps, we all wish for them to go much farther than we ever did, however as they begin their journey we must provide a path of footsteps in the right direction."