Nurturing self-esteem in your child is one of the most significant aspects of parenting. When your child develops positive self-esteem, it boosts his mental health as well. It helps him in cultivating confidence, thereby shielding the confident child from any negative situations. In a time when the entire world is under the grip of COVID 19, your child should be able to cope up with the stresses, uncertainties, and anxieties. If you are already finding ways to boost the self-esteem of your child, then you should definitely read on:
What does self-esteem look like?
First of all, know what self-esteem is. Basically, it is how children view themselves, what they think of themselves, and also how they handle different situations. The amount of love and attention that they get from their parents, teachers, and friends shape their self-esteem. A child with healthy self-esteem will never be arrogant, narcissistic, or feel entitled. It is the duty of every parent to balance the self-esteem of a child with other values and skills like kindness, empathy, good manners, charity, gratitude, and so on.
Tips to inculcate self-esteem in your bundle of joy
- Fix a playtime with your kids: When you spend time with your kids, they feel like you wish to give them company. Having fun with your kids is beneficial for both of you. Your kids will be able to express their interests more confidently. Also, there will be a lesser chance of falling prey to mental issues like depression, anxiety, etc. When they grow up, you will love to cherish these old memories. Also, they will remember their childhood fondly.
- Shower unconditional love on your child: When you show them, unconditional love, they feel secured and safe. Your unconditional love helps in developing self-esteem among your child and make him capable of entering into fruitful and healthy relationships in the future. So, hug them often, try snuggling inside a blanket and read his/her favorite story, or grow strong bonds with his friends.
- Assign them small responsibilities and chores: You can assign age-appropriate chores to your child so that they develop a sense of accomplishment and purpose. More often than not, your child may not be able to do it perfectly. But you should appreciate them for their efforts and hard work. Do not forget to praise them with motivating words. When a kid tries to participate in chores, they become more responsible and develop a sense of control over the own lives. This will go a long way with them. They will learn to be responsible even when things go downhill.
- Avoid insulting your kids: Do your child misbehave often? You will have to refrain your child from doing so. But you cannot go crazy in anger. It is absolutely normal to feel frustrated. But this does not mean that you will simply lash out at your kid. You cannot name-call them. Never ever shame them alone or in front of friends or families. Rather, you should talk to your child in a respectful manner. Avoid yelling upon him/her. Try conversing with your child in a friendly and pleasing tone.
- Make your kids independent and self-reliant: Know that the elementary school years lead to a sense of independence among your kids. As they gradually reach the middle school years, most of them are already walking to and from school alone, guiding their siblings, and so on. It is significant that you let your child be independent. They should be able to share their problems with the teachers. Teach them to do their assignments or wear their uniforms on their own. If you yourself continue to do these basic tasks for your kid, this will have a negative impact on his self-esteem. He will feel robbed of his autonomy. Later on, he will be habitual of assigning all his tasks to someone else. Do not intervene in your kid’s issues until and unless he seeks your help. Let him at least fight his share of battle. But at the same time, this does not mean you will leave him alone. You, as a parent, will be by his side always; just make sure that you are keeping an eye on everything but from the background.
- Keep a check on screen time: The world is increasingly getting reliant on digital devices. Every day, we use multiple devices like laptops, tablets, smartphones, and much more to post updates on social media platforms, text people, conduct business operations, check emails, complete school and college assignments, and so on. But spending much time hunching over a screen can indeed be harmful. Therefore, it is necessary that you keep a check on the screen time of your kids. Instead, encourage them to spend time outdoors, play with friends and cousins, enjoy the outing, and indulge in physical activities. For this, you can chart out a plan which will include the mandatory screen activities as well as some amount of leisurely on-screen activities. Teach your kids to adhere to this plan and set an example for your kids by sticking to this plan yourself. You can also promote activities like reading, riding bikes, going for leisurely walks, playing board games together, and so on.
- Help your kids learn from setbacks: Understand that your child is a human being and that he or she will not be perfect. “To err is divine,” and hence never expect your kids to learn the art of perfection. Once you yourself learn this, you will be able to teach your kids to learn from their failures and setbacks. Rather than taking these things in a pessimistic view, show them that there lies the scope of growth and improvement. Always show patience when your kid commits a mistake. Let him know that you are by his side no matter what setback he has experienced. This act alone will fill him with all the confidence to bounce back on life and seize the opportunity to grow and improve.
Being a parent is one of the most fortunate things in life, and you will learn a lot in this blissful journey. While developing self-esteem in your kids, you will also come to know a lot about yourself and your relationship with your child. Try this, and you will soon understand that this is worth it!