Tips - Children And Self Esteem - All About Baby and Child

Instilling confidence in your child can be one of the main challenges of being a parent. As parents, most of us want nothing more than for our children to be happy. Although we can’t protect them from all of the unexpected events that they may encounter throughout their day, what we can do is set the foundation of feeling truly secure and confident, in spite of negativity they may be subject to at school, around friends and other caregivers.

There are a few main things to think about when considering your children and self esteem:

1. Help them to understand that they are loved without condition, always, no matter what, by you, the parent.

2. Help them to understand that whenever other people direct negativity towards them, not to take it personal, that it may have nothing to do with them.

3. Help them to understand that sometimes other people direct negativity towards them out of ignorance, and they may not know any better.

4. Always give your child, as Dale Carnegie would say, “A good reputation to live up to.” Criticism can sometimes be taken so much to heart, that they begin to believe it as part of their “identity.”

5. Always emphasize your child’s strong qualities, talents and skills. Nobody can be good at everything.

6. Help your child to understand that everyone makes mistakes, and that they are not expected to be perfect.

7. Allow your child plenty of room for independence and independent thinking, while setting boundaries that do not let them take things too far before their time.

Whenever your child understands that they are always loved by you, the parent, and that home is always a safe haven for them, this can do wonders for their self esteem. No matter what happens during their day, if they can come home to a place of warmth and love, a strong foundation is set for life. This does not need to cost money – some of the best things in life are free. Taking advantage of these things while your child is still young enough to spend time with you can build memories that will last a lifetime.

If your child can begin to understand that the things that other people do often have nothing to do with them, this can also go a long way in helping them to build that foundation of “not taking things so personally.” Although a certain amount of abstract thought is necessary for a child to understand this, reminders can be very helpful as well. Say things like, “I wonder what must be going on in that person’s life for them to say something like that?”

If your child can understand that not everyone realizes the impact that they may have on others, and that sometimes people do things “without realizing the effects,” this can bring into your child’s awareness the importance of the effects of their own behavior. Say things like, “That person must not realize how he (or she) made you feel.”

By giving your child a good reputation to live up to, this will become part of your child’s “identity.” A child begins to develop an identity at a very young age, and begins to believe things that other people tell them about themselves. Saying things like, “You are so very good at that skill,” instead of things like, “Your problem is you always do (whatever) wrong.” This is crucial for children and self esteem.

If your child recognizes that they are not expected to be good at everything, and that everyone has their strong qualities, talents and skills, your child will begin to realize that it is okay not to be “perfect.” Remind your child that everyone is unique, and that this is a good thing, while emphasizing that everyone makes mistakes and downplaying those mistakes.

Encourage independence by focusing on your child’s talents and skills and finding books, toys and games that will foster those talents and encourage their creativity. Helping them to realize what grownups with those same talents often do for a living, can begin to give your child ideas to help them to have firm direction and eliminate confusion.

Making sure that children and self esteem go hand in hand will make for a much happier child, and in the long run, a happier adult. Confidence will give your child the needed edge to not only succeed, but to grow into a happier, well adjusted adult.

Deborah Landry is a writer, website designer and blog designer. You may be interested in a program that was formerly only available to a very exclusive group of gifted children, but now available to the general public for a limited time only. Do you have 30 minutes to give your child the gift of confidence for life? http://selfesteemers.com