Experience is important but opportunity puts experience to work. If we want children to learn self-respect we have to give them an opportunity to interact with other children. During the preschool years, they can learn fundamental relationships skills. (If you teach young children, you might be interested in my book The Peaceful Classroom: 162 Easy Activities to Teach Preschoolers Compassion and Cooperation published by Gryphon House). They can learn how to gracefully start and end play, how to solve conflicts, how to form friendships.