Is that which should be the right of all children, whether infants or grown to adulthood.
A parents love should be forgiving, compassionate, understanding and above all else, unselfish.
It should not always be predicated upon good behaviour, having the same opinion, toeing the line, or never answering back. A child of any age has a right to their own views, opinions and ideals, no matter how much they differ to your own, and they have the right to voice them.
Parents are not faultless, they are not perfect, they are not without flaws, and they do have feet of clay.
A good parent understands that ones children are formed in the image of themselves, and that ‘they’ are their children’s role models. A good parent knows that a child’s character, view of the world and how they build and form relationships are influenced by they themselves.
A good parent needs to recognise when they are wrong. A good and intelligent parent needs to take responsibility for their own actions.
In as much as respect as a parent is a right. It is still a right that is forfeit if one is a bad parent.
A child’s love for a parent is not a bottomless well. It can wither and die. It does not always take abuse and cruelty to do it. Sometimes indifference, capriciousness, thoughtless vindictiveness, and petty spitefulness will do it just as effectively.