Dear Mr. President,

These days, you see videos of teens getting into fights with teachers or parents nowhere in sight to stop them and adults arguing immaturely. Of course I’m not saying all Americans are rude but some certainly are. That’s why as a nation, we need to act as a role model by respecting each other and teaching the future citizens of America how to respect each other.

Respect: esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability (dictionary.com). Respecting others show that you value their presence and therefore, is the key to an untroubled and intelligent society. However, most of America is far from peaceful. Intelligent? Sort of. So to start making our society great again, we have to start at the root of the problem; the way parents treat their children and how children treat each other.

The time parents spend with their children is priceless. No amount of money spent on toys, games, or babysitters can replace their care. They have the biggest influence on how their children turn out. The choices that parents make influence their children’s personality, behavior, and overall attitude. However, just being there isn’t always enough. According to studies by Dr. Brenda L. Volling, spending quality time with children, actually does affect their growth. For example, parents who don’t interact with their kids often cause them to become more reclusive or seek attention from others. And thus, turning them into what we don’t want them to be, disrespectful. The effects that parents have on their kids are long-term and can not easily be changed, and that is why parents should consider having more family time with their children.

Countering this problem of disrespect will take time. First, we need to make sure the people becoming parents are responsible and well educated on parenting because it’s easier to children when they’re at a young age. Required parenting classes may be beneficial. Parents are not the only one responsible for their children’s growth, teachers also play a big role. In order for them to become respectful adults, children must be taught manners and empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and relate to one another. So why empathy? Well it’s what makes us human; it allows us to connect with one another, it basically keeps the nation together. However, in the more recent years the amount of empathy that people show has been decreasing. In the past 15 years it has already decreased by 30%! Unbelievable. Too much freedom can also be harmful. A teacher that does not have a tight hold on his or her students will ultimately cause them to become less obedient to authority. Therefore, harsher penalties might help, but not too harsh. Teachers should also be more open minded and alert. By teaching children respect, they start respecting each other and when they respect each other, it creates the domino effect. Poof, you got yourself a nice, peaceful and welcoming society. Of course it’s easier said than done but once we succeed, the outcome will make America significantly better.

Compared to issues like global warming, wars, terrorism, and such, some disrespect may not seem like such a big deal but think about it, the younger citizens of America are going to become its leaders someday. They will solve the problems that aren’t currently solvable. If you simply dismiss this issue as unimportant, it will sneak in later on when the other problems are resolved and by then, when you finally realize how big the issue actually is, it will be too late. Simply avoiding the problem when confronted so the next President can deal with it would be cowardly and selfish, so do you want to be known as a shameful President? Or would you rather to be known as the President who put America on the right path to success?

Sincerely,

Vy Nguyen