**All children should probably learn to have respect for authority within reason.** - Having respect for authority is important for the continued functioning of our current social structures. - Too much respect for authority can be dangerous if authority turns out to be less than desirable. - Especially for marginalized people who have had problems with authority, it makes sense to be wary and cautious. (Or even outright enraged, as the case has been in recent history.) - Strictly focusing on the broader lens of this question, I think that authority should be respected within reason. I think it's important to instill in children the ability to think critically for themselves while respecting authoritative structures as long as they are reputable and warranted. - Of course it's super hard to find that fine line, which is the difficult part. But ultimately teaching children to respect authority within reason seems like it ensures the safety and continued existence of any forms of peaceable cohabitation we have going without having to give way to dangerous over-policing and things like that in the long-run.

**Children need to learn respect for authority because it is important to learn at an early age that the world doesn't revolve around you & to develop consideration for other people.** - A [relevant definition] (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respect) of 'respect' is: "a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, etc., and should be treated appropriately". I think 'understanding' is a keyword here - [respect shouldn't be forced] (https://medium.com/marleyisms/why-respect-should-be-earned-not-given-b99a16271306), like children being made submissive through threats, punishment or shaming, because this lays the ground for unhealthy relationships in the future. - As children, we are formative, socially developing, still figuring out how to exist in the world and with other people. Both in schools and in family units, respect does need to be learned [for there to be social cohesion] (https://healthyliving.azcentral.com/should-children-play-competitive-sports-1145.html). As adults, people frequently have to coexist & sometimes put either the group interests or that of other people above their own. This isn't a matter of submitting entirely to others or of silencing yourself. Rather, it's about learning when it is appropriate to question authority & when it is appropriate to defer to the expectations or requests of those in authority positions.

**There are many different forms of authority - too many to be able to claim that children should universally respect all authoritative figures** - Children should learn how to _act respectfully_ towards authority when it is required so that they will not struggle in life and employment. - However, authority does not automatically deserve the respect of anyone - many forms of authority are unjust and to teach children to submit to that is wrong. - I think it is more important to teach children to _question_ authority, and how to do so rationally and productively so that they do not lose the respect of others. - Children should be encouraged to stand up for their beliefs rather than submit to those they believe are wrong. - Authority figures are not always right, morally or factually, so it benefits all when they are questioned. - This does not mean society will become lawless and that children will not follow societal rules and norms: rather it can result in the opposite. - It is better and more sustainable for a society that a child or any person decides to follow these rules and norms because they have determined they are _right_, rather than simply because they were told to by authority. - To teach new generations to automatically respect authority also prevents authoritative figures from acting with the best intentions in order to earn and maintain the respect of others. - It can deter them from making the correct choices if they do not risk losing support and respect. - There are authoritative figures, or potential authoritative figures, who may greatly contradict one another - children should learn how to determine which to respect and offer support to, especially as an essential skill to prepare for involvement in the political sphere. - This does not mean we should tell children not to respect those with alternative beliefs, but the opposite. We should encourage them to foster critical thinking and respectful open dialogues to discourage the monopoly of certain ideas.