Self - Reliant Kids

Kid's Confidence & Self Esteem

Confidence and self esteem are two traits which can influence your child’s life. As such, parents should play a crucial role in nurturing these two traits in their child. Read on to find helpful tips on how you can boost your child’s confidence and self esteem to facilitate overall development of your child.

Confidence and self esteem are two major traits that can actually define how far an individual can go in life. People lacking these two qualities are often found to fail in achieving what they had set out for and end up being branded as a ‘loser’.

There have been several researches conducted by individual groups that study how the lack of confidence and self esteem affects the personal, social, educational and professional lives of people. It has been observed that around 70% of girls (15-17 years) shy away from participating in regular everyday activities. This is caused by the lack of self-worth. 86.9% of teenage girls are overtly conscious on aspects involving beauty and suffer from appearance anxiety. These are statistical figures involving subjects from the urban society of developed and developing countries. In America, 92% of the young girls are unhappy with their physical appearance.

Read on to find some helpful tips on how you can boost your child’s confidence and self esteem.

Praise your Child

Comment positively when your child performs well or when he behaves well. Show that you are concerned enough to notice it. Do not take good behavior to be granted.

Focus on the Behavior and not the Child

If certain behaviour needs to be changed, make your child feel that he is still loved and it is only his behavior that is bothering you. It is important that you do not say something like “I do not quite like your attitude”. Rather say, “I do not like when you speak to your elders in that tone.”

Discuss Mistakes

It helps the child to learn when you discuss what had actually happened, what could have happened and how it could have been prevented.   

Acknowledge Effort

At times results are not that encouraging. But you should encourage the child for his efforts. Do not think an attempt is a failure if it does not work out.

Acknowledge that Sometimes your Child is also Right

This helps a lot to instil self confidence and make him a better communicator. When you allow your child to win an argument at times, he would feel at ease in persuading and putting across his point and convincing others with due logic. Let your child decide something and discover the consequences. Allow him to learn and be accountable for his actions. But you should obviously keep an eye on the well being of the child and explain to him on how things could have been better.

Spend Quality Time with your Child

You need to show interest in your child’s activities and hobbies. As they get accustomed to your interest, they will not feel that you are being intrusive in the later teenage years which are considered to be sensitive. The presence of his dear parents when the child is performing remains etched as a strong support in the memory of your child for years to come.

Listen and Cuddle

Be patient to hear out everything that the child wants to share with you. Be a great companion to him. Learn new things together and cuddle him with words of encouragement. Non-verbal soothing communication can ease up the child, make him comfortable and also help him to express himself with ease.

Build up a Social Life

Children should be encouraged to mix with others even if they are introvert. Make your child feel that home, family, relatives and friends are fun and a safe company.

It is therefore essential that parents take special care about the growing up environment of their kids so that they inculcate these traits with ease and comfort. Childhood is the prime formative years of an individual and if the building blocks are set right at the initial age, there would be least problems in coping up during the later stressful years.