Educating Children With Self-esteem – Being Parents

Self-esteem is a concept that is gaining more and more attention. This term is often used when referring to something trivial or ambiguous. However, self-esteem is one of the fundamental pillars of developing a healthy and fit personality.

In this article, you will learn important information for educating children with self-esteem.

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is the collection of perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and judgments that we have about ourselves. It’s what I think, how I feel about myself, and how satisfied I am with who I am.

Self-esteem is not something innate. We are not born with self-esteem. On the contrary, it is a concept which develops throughout life and which can be changed. If a child has low self-esteem, we can help them improve it.

Why is self-esteem so important?

We have often heard the phrase “ Love your neighbor as yourself ”. However, we often forget the second part of the quote: we forget that loving each other is the first step. This is essential.

Children with good self-esteem

• Children with good self-esteem feel valued, accepted and safe. They can count on the confidence to try new things and explore their surroundings.
• This faith in their abilities makes them strive harder when faced with an obstacle. They generally feel proud of what they are capable of doing.

• Children with self-esteem can tolerate frustration when something doesn’t go as planned on the first try and are able to adapt and try again. They do not see the error as a personal failure but as a part of learning. They do not therefore judge themselves harshly.
• This way of seeing life pushes them to have a better commitment in school, social and family.

Children with low self-esteem

• Children with low self-esteem lack self-confidence and feel insecure. They feel like they’re not as good as everyone else. They doubt their abilities and tend to focus on the negative aspects.
• When they have to test new environments or activities, they are more likely to give up or not to try. In reality, they have difficulty dealing with mistakes or failures. They are very critical and hard on themselves.

• They may have difficulty fitting in, especially when they feel that others don’t accept them. They are even likely to let others mistreat them because they fail to defend themselves.
• Therefore, they do not engage as they could because fear obscures their potential.

How to educate a child with personal esteem?

1. Love it unconditionally. Show him all your affection and tell him that you love him regardless of his actions. When correcting it, make sure that you are attacking the wrong behavior, not the person.

2. Give it your attention. Find moments to share one-to-one with your child and look them in the eye when they talk to you. So you show him that you listen to him and that he is really important to you.

3. Offer her options. From 2 years old, a child is able to make decisions about small things. This will allow him to see that you have confidence in his decision-making capacity.

4. Set clear and consistent boundaries. It will help her feel secure.

Then…

5. Allow him to make mistakes and gain independence. Push him to do chores on his own and if he behaves badly, don’t correct him immediately. You need to give him time to realize his mistake and find a better solution.

6. Avoid comparisons. Emphasize that everyone is different and that we each have our own unique talent. Teach your child to feed off the strength of others instead of being jealous of it. Also, teach them to be proud of their own strengths instead of comparing themselves.

7. Develop its capacity for adoption. Teach him to face the challenges of life. Emphasize that the important thing is not to get it right the first time, but to try with conviction and confidence.

8. Accept his emotions and anger. Help your child identify and deal with their emotions.

9. Be an example of self-esteem. Show him that you are proud of your accomplishments and avoid being devalued in front of him.

10. Create a positive environment. Get your child used to talking about the positive things of the past day in the evening. Remind him of his qualities every morning.