No doubt you were taught to respect all adults, especially senior adults, regardless of how they behaved or spoke.
Children are fairly good judges of character despite the age or position of the adult.
Healthy communication hinges on reciprocal respect between you and your children. We believe it's absolutely essential to teach children to respect authority figures, but the only authentic way to gain their complete confidence and trust is by respecting who they are by conversing diplomatically. Think of an adult relative or friend whom you looked forward to being around when you were a kid. Because we look for respect and obedience from our children, we may resort to fear tactics and consequently win the battle by force, though we eventually lose the war. Respect and fear are not the same, although they are often linked together.