Hone Your Parenting Skills and Boost Your Kids' Self Esteem
Charlene J. Nuble
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When your child was very young, he or she might have come up to you with a drawing on a sheet of paper. This drawing was no more than a set of scribbles and lines made with one or two crayons, which your child must have called a cat or dog, or your house. You must have complimented your child, told 
him or her that he had made something very good, and patted him or her on the head. You might also have hung the drawing up, or tacked it with a magnet to your refrigerator door.
Such tender scenes of affirmation can increase your child's self esteem at an early age. However, as your children grow older, get out into the world, and encounter different people, you can find it more and more difficult to talk with them, much less reason with them. Moreover, you can find it difficult to convince them that no matter what their peers say, no matter what insults the school bully hurls at them, they are still the best children in the world.
Why is boosting self-esteem so important? A child with high self-esteem is better able to withstand peer pressure, simply because he or she has greater confidence in himself or herself, and therefore has a greater and stronger sense of identity. A child with high self-esteem is also able to meet challenges without letting fear get in the way. That college entrance exam can be easier to study for if your child does not balk at reviews first. That first prom date can be less taxing on his or her emotions if he or she is confident.
An inflated self-esteem, however, can often be worse than no self-esteem. If your child has too much confidence, he or she can alienate his or her friends, and may end up friendless and lonely. Inflated egos are also easily burst: if your child believes too much in himself or herself, he or she can find it difficult to take criticism, even if the criticism is constructive. Your child may have a chance to improve himself or herself, but the self-esteem issue can get in the way.
How do you, as a parent, turn into a self-esteem booster without making your child dependent on praise? Here are a few tips you might want to consider as you watch your child grow.
Such tender scenes of affirmation can increase your child's self esteem at an early age. However, as your children grow older, get out into the world, and encounter different people, you can find it more and more difficult to talk with them, much less reason with them. Moreover, you can find it difficult to convince them that no matter what their peers say, no matter what insults the school bully hurls at them, they are still the best children in the world.
Why is boosting self-esteem so important? A child with high self-esteem is better able to withstand peer pressure, simply because he or she has greater confidence in himself or herself, and therefore has a greater and stronger sense of identity. A child with high self-esteem is also able to meet challenges without letting fear get in the way. That college entrance exam can be easier to study for if your child does not balk at reviews first. That first prom date can be less taxing on his or her emotions if he or she is confident.
An inflated self-esteem, however, can often be worse than no self-esteem. If your child has too much confidence, he or she can alienate his or her friends, and may end up friendless and lonely. Inflated egos are also easily burst: if your child believes too much in himself or herself, he or she can find it difficult to take criticism, even if the criticism is constructive. Your child may have a chance to improve himself or herself, but the self-esteem issue can get in the way.
How do you, as a parent, turn into a self-esteem booster without making your child dependent on praise? Here are a few tips you might want to consider as you watch your child grow.
Inflated egos are easily burst: if your child believes too much in himself or herself, he or she can find it difficult to take criticism, even if the criticism is constructive.