Any time my wife had a different opinion or interest than me, I would say how much better my thing was than her thing. Oh, you like marching band more than football? How dumb. Thousands of people show up for these football games. The half-time show is when people go to the bathroom and buy concessions. Thus, football is better than marching band. That's how you can use confirmation bias and faulty logic to be a huge a*shole to your wife and make her not want to be married to you anymore.
The respect I didn't show my wife, I do try hard to show our son. I do my best not to make value judgments about whose preferences are "better" or "more correct" — something I didn't do for my wife. My son is his own person. He doesn't have to be like me. He doesn't have to do or be ANYTHING that anyone tells him he should. He's going to be whoever and whatever he is. My priority is not having him know how much I approve or disapprove of his values and interests. My priority is having him know he's loved and respected regardless of what his values and interests are.
In this same vein, I also have a strict policy against saying "Because I said so." The "why" behind every rule or decision provides important context for my son to achieve greater understanding and perspective. I don't deny his requests to disappoint him, or to wield power over him. I sometimes deny his requests for very specific reasons related to his well-being (caffeine or sugar at inappropriate times on school nights; starting two-hour movies one hour before his bedtime, etc.)
Sometimes, when I tell him the "why," he questions it respectfully and offers an alternative viewpoint. Sometimes, I change my answer and tell him how proud I am of him for having a healthy discussion and using his smart brain to help me consider a different perspective. It's a mature and healthy response to not getting what you want.
At the core of it, I'm not happy I'm divorced. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But it has taught me things I could have never learned otherwise, so in a twisted sort-of way, I'm grateful for it. Because now, I can see all the things I was doing wrong. And not because of some miracle cure. But just by shining a little light into the darkness.