One of my friends brought up the topic about respectful parenting. How does that basically work?

Respectful parenting is also called peaceful or gentle parenting. You may research about these key words for further read but just to walk you through, it's a kind of parenting style that gives mutual respect between a parent and a kid. This parenting style upholds several tenets like (to name a few) - offering choices instead of commands - labeling a behavior instead of a child - recognizing that expression of emotions is healthy, even if it's a negative emotion. I personally think this is a hard parenting style to sustain, but if practiced by heart, it may really help in developing your child as a better adult. This is a good read about respectful parenting so you can get a clearer grasp: http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/family/article/2016/03/10/these-parents-dont-use-rewards-or-punishment-get-their-kids-comply