‘The eyes are the mirror of the soul’ by Capture Queen on flickr
Parents will always have a very strong opinion about how to help develop the self-esteem of their children, with some thinking there might be too much of a focus placed on it and others who feel it is an extremely important part of a child’s early development.
Even though there are two completely different sides, there is truth that can be found in each theory. While there might be a little too much focus placed on it today, it is important and there is a perfect spot in the middle – and that is to focus on assisting a child in learning and growing so that they can build their own sense of self-worth and value.
Having an honest self-esteem is one of the most important parts of having success in life and it is important in how we view ourselves. That evaluation can be one of the biggest factors in a person’s mood and feelings about different things in life. Having a positive amount of self-esteem can lead to a higher chance of developing independence, responsibility, pride and the abilities to take on challenges and being able to deal with frustration.
Not having good self-esteem can lead to a child not being able to do any of the following as they mature, nor will they be able to handle various emotions that they will likely go through in high school, college and early adulthood. The essential thing to keep in mind is that parents have a lot of influence in developing that self-esteem early on. By doing these following five methods, you will improve their self-esteem for better success in life.
Praise often, quickly
Let your child know when you are feeling good about what they’ve done lately. While many parents are known to let their kids know when they’ve done something annoying or negative, they are also not so quick to say “good job.” Unless you tell them so, they’ll assume they aren’t doing anything right around the house or in school.
It’s a known fact that children are going to keep the compliments stored in their memory, just like they would anything negative or insulting – both are often replayed in their mind throughout the rest of the day and in the future. Make sure you acknowledge how they are doing well, working hard and giving their best effort.
Offer generous amounts of praise
Don’t just say it with simple words. Make sure you are being descriptive in how you are happy with them. A good example is telling your child how proud you are of taking on a new challenge, like trying to swim the length of the pool, and how they were able to push themselves to press on.
Have them talk positive about themselves
Force your child to never get down on themselves and be willing to make positive comments about themselves. Scientific studies have found that children who make the negative statements about themselves is often what leads to depression, anxiety and other issues.
Discourage negative name calling
Similar to forcing your child to make only positive self-assessments, you will want to make sure you and the children do not use any name calling. This is especially important when you want to give constructive criticism about things like how they could keep their room cleaner – don’t call them a slob or lazy.
A better thing to do is to tell your child that you believe they can get the room picked up before dinner or before it’s time to go to bed. You also want to let them know they did a good job when they do the work to the best of their abilities.
Act, speak as if they’re always around
It’s one thing to praise your child while they are around you. But you also don’t want them to accidentally overhear you say anything negative that can undo all of the work you have done for their self-esteem. Therefore, you have to pretend as if you were on cameras and anything you say and do will be heard by your child.
