Monday, July 25, 2016

Parental guide to build confidence in kids



Building self-confidence in kids is one of the most important things parents can do. Self-dignity lets children feel proud of themselves; it lets them hold their heads high. This belief in self-leads to the courage to try new things. Self-morale really affects every aspect of a person’s life because it affects how you value yourself and those around you. Fostering healthy self-esteem in children is a step to helping them have decent lives.
To some parents, building self-esteem in children comes naturally. In others, especially those parents with low self-esteem themselves, it takes more effort. Many often wonder about how to build child self-esteem. Below is a list of 15 ways parents can build self-esteem in child and raise a confident kids.
Building confidence in child
Teach good manners. Teaching manners has many benefits. First of all, it shows children how to respect others. When children respect others, others will respect them. And when others respect children, they feel proud to have earned respect. Teaching children manners will also help them navigate the particulars of situations, which again leads to accomplishment and self-confidence.
1.  Give genuine compliments
Children are sensitive, especially to what their parents say. When your child does something well, remember to praise the child. Be honest, but loving. Sugar coated compliments will have prolonged effects and may even create havoc in the latter stage of life. The parenting issues will start given that if the compliments are not genuine and children figure it out.
2.  Praise effort and completion
A child will not always do well in everything. Parents should praise the effort and completion, and not the outcome. Praising the outcome adds pressure, and when a child does fail, it could have a negative effect on the child’s self-confidence in the future. Humor helps in these situations. Humor always helps and even the process that leads to the completion.
3.  Teach them to trust themselves
Sometimes, parents have to let their children fall. Parents shouldn’t knowingly let their children get hurt, but a fall now and then – figuratively and literally – is good for the child, especially if the parent praises the child for trying again. When a child gets older, he will have to trust himself; keep this in mind the next time a child wants to try something new. Making them to trust the self will always trigger them to reach the level of perfection and will yield productivity to the best.
4.  Show love and affection to your child
This is probably one of the easiest things a parent can do for building confidence in kids. Show your love. Be affectionate. Hug and kiss your kid. Showing children that they are important in their parent’s life increases self-esteem and it encourages them to achieve more, and when children are motivated to achieve more they are driven to the way of development.
5.  Talk positively about your child
Kids have good ears and pick up on many things parents say, even when the parents don’t know that the child is listening. When you talk about your child, it’s important not to criticize the child. For one, your kid might be listening, which is detrimental to self-esteem. Also, what you tell others about your child influences how other think about and treat your child. If what you say is positive, then this will ultimately lead to a positive self-worth. If it’s negative, the opposite is true.
6.  Never compare your child with other children
Many parents fail to comply this and, as a result the children are driven out to negativity. Your child is unique. They will have their own quirks. He will excel at certain things and struggle with others. When you compare your child to another child, it makes your child not value himself for who he is. Instead, he looks outward to find his value, which is antithetical to good self-esteem. Instead of comparing your child to another, focus on what your child has done. Compliment effort and praise completion.
7.  Have good self-esteem
Children reflect what they see from their parents. If parents have good self-esteem, a higher self-worth will come more easily to the child. On the other hand, if a parent struggles with self-esteem, the child will likely struggle as well. In this case, all hope is not lost. Parents can work on their own, recognizing the value it will have on their child. Before the disaster strikes, parents should prepare the cover for themselves and even for child.
8.  Pay attention
Parents don’t listen to what their children think and talk. This will never motivate their child. In a world of mobile devices and connectivity, it’s easy to get distracted. When your kid is behaving and a good television show is on, it’s too easy to watch the show and not the child. In reality, this will happen, and sometimes it should happen. Parents need a break now and then. At the very least, praise the child for behaving. But more positive interaction, the better. Realize that doing something fun with your child is rewarding for you and for your child.
9.  Teach limits
Children need to have limits. Limits help children take responsibility for their own actions, which builds self-esteem. When children are taught about the limits then they will withdraw aggressive attitude and learn to know the hard facts that may hit them in the days to come. The possible outcomes and results should be discussed. Parents should not restrain their children rather should make them aware of future consequences.
10.      Listen well
Sometimes children don’t know the words to express themselves, so parents have to tune their ears to the children. Listening to what happened to a child at school may lead to deeper issues and/or a better understanding of your child’s life. Just by listening to their problems and enquiry will provide solace to them. Parents should develop the habit of appreciative enquiry and sometimes should apply the reverse psychology to bring out about the possible problem they might be having.
11.      Provide encouragement
Praising after the task is important, but encouraging before and during a task is also important for building self-esteem in children. Parents should encourage their children to see tasks through to the end and to try their best.
12.      Try, try again
When a child fails – and a child will fail at some point – parents should encourage the child to try again. Like riding a bike. The child is going to fall when learning to ride, but the child will never actually learn without falling. The key is getting back up. Parents should be empathetic about the failure of the child and make them understand that there is absolutely no problem failing to do anything at a single go.
13.      Celebrate the positive
Even if something doesn’t go as plan – a volcano project that never erupts, for example – parents should still praise what went right. The child will already feel that sense of failure, so it’s the parent’s job to pick the kid up. The volcano may not have erupted, but there is this really cool-looking volcano there. Celebrating the positive with the children will make them proactive about the things they are about to do in the days to come.
14.      Over-praising does more harm than good
Here’s the trick: you can’t over-praise. Give praise often and honestly, but overdoing it can give your child an inflates sense of self-worth. This can lead to children thinking they are better than others, which can lead to social awkwardness or isolation. Parents are to be cautious when it comes to praising because the praising if taken from different spectrum by the children will definitely back fire.
Hopefully, these tips will help parents who are wondering how to raise confident child. Self-esteem affects every aspect of a person’s life, from the choices they make to their personal interaction.
Raising a confident child is a big step parents can take to ensure their children lead productive, healthy lives. The future of the child belongs how parents raise them at the time of difficulties and stress being said and done parents should be careful about the overall development of their wards.
Sewak Tamang is the man behind Positive Attitude Matters, a blog solely focused on Personal Development and Leadership. He works as SEO+Data analyst for Resolution Media, self blogger and good human being. :)
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3 comments:

Barnett Don said...

A very well written article. Things get difficult when your child is specially abled, but that moment requires the parents to be confident themselves. Also, learning disabilities schools and the parents together can help the child in proper, confident growth and development.

Unknown said...

Very useful post for parents! My mother was always encouraged me to do what I loved. She was very supportive when I started being interested in fashion. When I started my own company, she was right there to help me. Now I’m always trying to be a good mother to my children same as my mother.

Mindvalley said...

Enjoyed while reading the article above, really explains everything in detail. The article is very interesting and effective. Thank you and good luck in the upcoming articles.
https://blog.mindvalley.com/what-is-confidence/