Raise Confident Children With the Following Three Things

Kids start learning from the moment they’re born. They must learn basic life skills like eating, sleeping, and walking, but that’s not all. They must also build character, and that’s easier said than done. Without a doubt, any parent wants their child to be confident. To achieve it, a sense of confidence must be fostered from a very early age. So, how can parents ensure their kids are self-confident?

A Professional Opinion

Roseanne Lesack, Ph.D.

Parents can follow the advice of Roseanne Lesack, Ph.D. – a child psychologist and director of the Unicorn Children’s Foundation Clinic at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She said the following three things will definitely help:

Tie Ethics With Success

Parents must learn that building a healthy work ethic in their child is far more important than winning a soccer game or getting straight A’s at school. In other words, one needs to make kids feel that effort is much more valuable than result. Of course, that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t praise success. Don’t make the kid feel ashamed if they’ve tried and failed. Once a parent teaches their child that effort is more valuable than success, they get one step closer to raising a confident adult.

Be Confident in Order to Build Their Self-Esteem

Confident children come from parents who value themselves. One shouldn’t be shy or ashamed to talk about their qualities as a person. Talk about your successes and accomplishments. When you’ve achieved a goal, Lesack says, you can emphasize that you’ve accomplished it after a lot of hard work and dedication. She also suggests that parents must model positive self-talk to build a sense of self-confidence. As you know, children absorb everything. They’ll definitely absorb such positive behavior.

Compliment Kids on Their Skills

Confident children appreciate their skills. Of course, parents must teach their kids to value their skills. Don’t just say, “You’re great,” while your kid plays a soccer game. Instead, find specific things you really liked in their game and emphasize things like, “I really liked the footwork you did just before scoring the second goal.” Compliment a kid on key moments during their game, or any other activity, for that matter. In addition, Lesack suggests presenting kids with the chance to appreciate their strengths with specificity.

Of course, those three things are not everything you need to do to build confidence in a kid. Things are more complex than that. Think of what makes you feel confident, and you’ll get a clear picture of what you need to do to make your kids value themselves.