Exodus 20:12 -- Honor Your Father and Mother

Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Honor your father and your mother.  Do not disrespect them.  Hold them high in your mind.  Obey the commands they give you, so long as they do not go against the words of God.

Matthew 15:3 He answered them, “And why do you break God’s commandment because of your tradition? 4 For God said:
Honor your father and your mother; and,
The one who speaks evil of father or mother
must be put to death.

Those who break this commandment are to be put to death.  I see a theme here.  If you are and idolater, you will be put to death.  If you take the Lord's name in vain, you will be put to death.  If you break the Sabbath, you should be put to death.  God is very serious about His people obeying His commandments.

Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents as you would the Lord, because this is right. 2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, 3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.

We should obey our parents simply because it is right and it is what they Lord commands of us.  The promise of God to us if we keep this commandment is that we may live long and prosper (Ha!) in the land the Lord has given us.