Building confidence in your child is a sure way to set them up for success in life in all ways. It will ensure that they lead a happy life full of positive energy and will help them stay strong and positive when life brings them a challenge, which it inevitably will, as we all know that is part of life.
Self-esteem will let them see their flaws and let them improve where needed. They will like who they are and not wish that they were someone else. They will be proud of themselves and they will grow as a person to their full potential. They will affect other people in a good way and inspire self-esteem in others. So how exactly can you as a parent do what you can to support your child having a life filled with greater self esteem?
They are your reflection
Your behavior as a parent can affect the way your child acts, so try to inspire confidence in your kid by being confident yourself. Throughout everyday life you will be given opportunities to teach them this by acting on everyday situations and challenges. Always try to be positive, even if things aren’t going your way – this will encourage them to do the same. Your child will act as a mirror of yourself and your behavior, so if you show confidence your kid is likely to do so too. Bad days happen to everybody, so when I say ‘try to be positive’ I don’t mean try to fake that everything is alright (not a good lesson), teach your child to be real and truthful to themselves and others. But to always stay positive and keep his/her head up will surely inspire strength and confidence in your kid and teach them a valuable lesson.
Communication
The way you communicate with your child will influence the way they communicate with others. Positive reinforcement can give them confidence to start conversations on their own. Positive reinforcement shows that you are genuinely interested in your child and it will teach them that it is all right to express themselves and be comfortable with showing their ideas. Let them talk too, don’t just give lessons, communication is a two way street. Letting them contribute to the conversation will inspire confidence to talk to others. On the other side they need to learn how to listen to others also.
If you are a parent or guardian of a child, dedicating time to supporting children to develop their social and communication skills will really help set them up on the right path to being more at peace with themselves and what life brings.
Play Time
Strengthen the bond you have with your child and spend some quality time with them through play time. It might be simple but it is very important in order for your child to develop in a healthy way. Always let them choose the activity or the game that you will play, it is bound to hold their attention longer if they are doing something they like and not something you find interesting or think it is best for them.
Try to enjoy it as much as they are as if they see that you are interested in something they like it will give them a huge confidence boost. But try to keep focus on them, if you lose interest overtime a child will notice that and it won’t have a positive effect on their self-esteem. 15 minutes of connected and truly present play with you and your child is better than 1 hour of play where your mind is elsewhere or stopping sporadically to do household chores, send a quick email, take phone calls etc.
Expressing emotions
Your kids should be supported in learning how to control their emotions. They should know when to express how they feel and when to let something slide and keep their emotions inside. Bottled up feelings can be a precursor of anxiety and social detachment, but learning control over their feelings won’t be seen as weakness but will let others know that they can control them. On the other hand are kids who have uncontrolled outbursts of emotions, this can be very devastating for their social life if they are not taught how to deal with overwhelming emotions mindfully, as it could be associated with selfishness and rudeness. Teach them how to come to terms with their feelings, have control over them and stay confident no matter what.
By encouraging confidence you build a path for a stronger adult. It will allow your children to have a life with more peace, success and happiness. They will appreciate themselves and others more and one day thank you for it.