Building Confidence And Self Esteem

There are 2 major qualities that practically define a person and how far they will go in life. These
traits are confidence and self-esteem. Someone who lacks these two qualities will often fail to
succeed in life, and become what is called a "loser". No one wants to be a loser, but they do
exist in society today, just as they have existed for hundreds of years. People with low
confidence and self-esteem often have problems holding down a job, have little ambition or
drive, and are generally a drain upon society. Building a persons confidence and self-esteem
starts when they are very young, with their parents and home life.
Helping Your Child Succeed - Confidence and Self-Esteem Building
Everyone has challenges. How a person deals with those challenges stems from how they
learned to deal with problems when they were young. And learning to meet these challenges
head-on, and build confidence and self-esteem, starts when a person is young. Here are some
tips for parents to help build their child's confidence and self-esteem.
Acknowledge the Good
There is nothing worse for a child's confidence and self-esteem than coming home from school
with their shiny "A" or completed school project, and having a parent display no enthusiasm or
give no praise. If your child accomplishes something good, let them know! Frame that report
card, or medal, or whatever. Show that it means something, both to you and your child, when
they do something well. Not only will this build the child's confidence and self-esteem, but
looking at last semester's report card and remembering the praise, or the dinner out, or however
you rewarded your child, can give them the drive to do it again next semester.
Reinforce the Positive
A positive take on life on the parents part directly translates to their children’s' outlooks. A
parent who is pessimistic and acts beaten by life will instill those values as easily as a parent
with sunny outlooks, even in the face of life challenges, instill that in their children. The way a
child meets challenges has a direct impact on both their confidence and self-esteem.
A parent shouldn't call out the negatives they see in everyone around them. They should be
thankful that their child and life is sound and healthy, without giving the child the impression that
they are "better" than a less fortunate child or family. A false sense of intrinsic worth based on
the misfortune of others can lead to low confidence and self-esteem later in life.
If the parents have given their child a task to do, and they complete it well, praise them! A
parent must be consistent, however, and be sure that you really mean it. Few things can hurt a
child's confidence and self-esteem like hearing their parent talking about how bad they
performed a task to another person, after the same parent gave the child praise for a task well
done. If a parent's child is not performing as well as they should be, don't criticize and be nasty
about the child's shortcomings. Rather, the parent try to explain how they could be doing better
in specific areas, while still pointing out the things the child is doing well. All this leads to greater
confidence, and thus, self-esteem.
Take an Active Role
A parent should always do their best to participate in their child's life. Parents, go to after-school
activities! Watch their performances! Cheer them on! A child who sees his parents don't care
about something will wonder both why he or she should care, and why his or her parents don't
care about them like the other kids parents do. This can be a major blow to a child's confidence,
self-esteem, and drive.
It all Comes Back to the Parents
If a parent gives their child the kind of attention and love discussed above, then their child will
be successful. High confidence and self-esteem are absolutely vital in preparing a child for the
future. Don't condemn them to a life of mediocrity and therapy sessions, get involved, show
support and love, and the rest will follow naturally.