in my opinion

i know I'm not qualified to say this because i'm a child or whatever, but i think it's relatively valueable coming from a child's perspective

yes, children should respect their parents to some degree (assuming parents are decent human beings)

but

respect can stem from fear or it can stem from love

if your child's respect for you stems from a fear of you, idk what to say man. i mean, your kid respects you. but truth be told, they're never gonna be comfortable around you. they will never be completely honest to you. you'll never see them emotionally open to you. yeah they might love you, but you have to carry the burden of the fact that the love was obligatory on their end. your kid may love you, but they don't like you. your relationship with them is probably relatively toxic

if a child's respect for you stems from love, you're probably a relatively successful parent. they love you not out of obligation but rather admiration. this is probably more wholesome than that first one

why does this shit hit me at 2 am