I don't think being older automatically means kids/teens/young
   adults must respect us. I'm 43 years old. Do I deserve respect?
   That's not my call to say. It's arrogance if I think I deserve
   respect.

   But I give respect. People of all ages recognize when someone is
   giving respect and when they're not.

   I respect someone's ROLE when I must. I respected my teachers
   because it was a practical matter. I respected them as human
   beings because it's the right thing to do. But did I respect
   them because they were my elder? No. They weren't any different
   than me, they just had a different job than me.

   But I'm nice to everybody yet I also state my case and defend my
   position. I afford the same luxury to anybody, whoever they are,
   whatever their age/rank/serial number may be. "You will respect
   my authority because I am a level 80 and you are a mere level 15
   n00b." That's what I hear when I hear someone demanding respect
   due to being on this planet a little longer. Sorry for the
   soapbox rant; ageism has been one of my "rant" issues since I
   was a kid and I still don't like it.