PARENTING WORKSHOP SERIES Part 1: Boosting Your

Transcript:PARENTING WORKSHOP SERIES Part 1: Boosting Your:
PARENTING WORKSHOP SERIES Part 1: Boosting Your Child’s Self Esteem & Confidence What is Self esteem? Self -esteem is the collection of beliefs or feelings we have about ourselves. How we view ourselves influences our motivations, attitudes and behaviors and affects our emotional adjustment. Children create a self-concept based on their interactions with people. They feel success after many attempts to try something new and in turn develop ideas about their own capabilities. Self-esteem is the combination of feeling capable and feeling loved. Healthy self-esteem is achieved when the right balance between these is reached. Signs of healthy and unhealthy self esteem Self-esteem fluctuates as children grow. It is in a constant state of change because it is affected by a child’s experiences and new perceptions. Kids with low self-esteem may: not want to try new things frequently speak negatively about themselves exhibit a low tolerance for frustration, give up easily, or wait for someone else to take over tend to be overly critical and easily disappointed in themselves view setbacks as permanent and have an overall sense of pessimism Signs of healthy and unhealthy self esteem Kids with healthy self-esteem may: tend to enjoy interacting with others typically be comfortable in social situations and enjoy both group and independent activities work towards finding solutions when challenges arise and can experience unhappiness without belittling themselves or others feel a general sense of optimism Boosting your child’s self esteem Self-esteem is the real magic wand that can form a child's future. A child's self-esteem affects every area of her existence, from friends she chooses, to how well she does academically in school, to what kind of job she gets, to even the person she chooses to marry. (Stephanie Martson, family therapist, author. The Magic of Encouragement, ch. 1 (1990).) Tips for Parents Watch what you say. Kids are sensitive to parents’ words. Praise your child not only for a job well done, but also for effort. Be truthful. If your child doesn’t make the baseball team, avoid saying something like, “Well, next time you’ll work harder and make it.” Instead, try “Well, you didn’t make the team, but I’m really proud of the effort you put into it.” Reward effort and completion rather than outcome. Boosting your child’s self esteem “Pass down values every day through your actions, your words and your time with your kids.” ~ Robert Frank “When we