Ten Tips to Raise Confident Children

Nurturing the child's self-esteem is a hefty responsibility. The feeling of self-worth lays the foundation for the child's future. As a parent one should ensure that the child develops pride and self-respect as well as faith in his ability to handle things in life.
Here are ten simple strategies to help boost your child's self-confidence;

• Bestow unconditional love: Love your child no matter who he is and what he does. The child's self-esteem flourishes the most when you accept him for who he is regardless of his strengths, difficulties, temperament, or abilities. And when you have to correct your child, make it clear that it's the behavior — not him — that's unacceptable.

• Pay attention: Take out time to give your child your undivided attention as this sends the message that he's important and valuable. However, when you are short of time, let your child know it without ignoring his needs.

• Set limits: Put up reasonable rules for your child. Also, don’t put up rules every now-n-then. Knowing that certain family rules are ought to be followed will help him feel more secure.

• Support healthy risks: Encourage your child to explore something new. Though there's always the possibility of failure, without risk there's little opportunity for success. So let your child safely experiment, and resist the urge to intervene every time.

• Let mistakes happen: The child is bound to make mistakes. These are valuable lessons for your child's confidence.

• Celebrate the positive: Everyone responds well to encouragement, so make an effort to acknowledge the good things your child does every day. This will enhance his sense of accomplishment and self-worth and let him know exactly what he did right.

• Be a good listener: If your child needs to talk, stop and listen to what he has to say. Let him know and feel that his thoughts, feelings, desires, and opinions matter.

• Resist comparisons: Comparisons, be it positive or negative, are potentially damaging because a child can find it hard to live up to the image. If you let your child know that you appreciate him for the unique individual he is, he'll be more likely to value himself too.

• Offer empathy: If your child compares himself unfavorably to his siblings or peers show him empathy and then emphasize one of his strengths. This can help your child learn that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and that he doesn't have to be perfect to feel good about himself.

• Provide encouragement: Every child needs the kind of support from loved ones. Encouragement means acknowledging progress — not just rewarding achievement.