4 Ways You Can Teach Your Child the Importance of Self-Esteem
In today’s society, it’s important for people to navigate through the world with good self-esteem. What many parents don’t know is that self-esteem begins developing as early as childhood. Although it can be learned later in life, what is taught during a person’s childhood can have a long-lasting effect on how they choose to go about making choices and decisions as an adult.
The Benefits of High Self-Esteem:
If children learn the importance of self-esteem at younger age, they’re more likely to be successful in future endeavors because they feel liked and accepted, confident and proud of their abilities, only think positive things about themselves, and believe that anything is possible for them to achieve.
The Cons of Low Self-Esteem:
Lack of self-esteem can lead to poor mental health over time. Negative thinking produces stress chemicals in the brain. Quite often, it can be linked to depression and anxiety. It can also lead to behavioral problems. If a child feels unable to do certain things, they might become more violent – resorting to being mean to their peers and throwing temper tantrums when they make mistakes or have difficulty learning something new.
Here are 4 Ways You Can Teach Your Child the Importance of Self-Esteem:
1. Teach them new things:
It’s important to teach your child new things because finding new skills can help boost their confidence and fuel your child’s desire to learn. An example may be teaching them how to do certain chores around the house like helping you cook simple meals and doing laundry. It can be beneficial in the long run because they feel that they can own up to newer responsibilities, and chores give them a sense of fulfillment.
2. Praise your child wisely, and don’t overpraise:
Don’t only praise your child every time they achieve something. Praise them when they’re learning something new, or when they’ve made progress on something that they couldn’t do before. Overpraising can have negative effects because children will begin to rely on your compliments every time they accomplish something to feel validated, instead of learning to seek validation within themselves. Just like adults, it’s important children know that no one is perfect. Doing this correctly will also teach them resilience.
3. Be careful with your words:
Yelling and saying mean things to your child can result in harsh effects in the brain. It’s also crucial for parents to remember that their children model their behavior. Make sure you avoid generalizing them when they make mistakes. Don’t ever label them and compare them to others. How you treat your child is how they will think it’s fit to treat others. If you use harsh words when speaking to your child, this can lead to your child copying your behavior and becoming a bully to classmates.
4. Teach them positive affirmations:
It’s important to teach your child gratitude because it can lead to them having a more optimistic outlook on life. Whether it’s standing in front of a mirror or writing on an index card, have your child acknowledge their own positive AND negative traits. Teaching them to acknowledge their flaws lets them know that no one is perfect, and helps them learn to be okay with and embrace their own imperfections.
