Here's the latest post on theTeenLife Blog:
We need armor to go out and survive the war that is life. Forget the iPad, the puppy, or the gaming system that we’ve been begging you for. Instead, give your kid what they really need, confidence.
The reality
Believe it or not, confidence starts in the home. Having faith in your child to perform allows for children to have faith in themselves. Children look to their parents for support and comfort. Simple phrases like “You can do it” can mean the world to a child. Positive reinforcement allows for children to have the encouragement that they need in order to succeed. However, as easy as it is to build confidence, it can be even easier to break that confidence down.
Breaking down a child
If you want to destroy a teens’s ego, it’s very simple. Do nothing, say nothing, and acknowledge nothing. Teens need constant interaction with their parents. It gives them a sense of security and more importantly, it lets teens know that their parents care. The language that adults use can improve or destroy a teen’s self-esteem. Destructive language destroys a child. There’s nothing worse than having a parent not believe in who their child is. It’s much easier for kids to recover from insults from a peer or even a teacher than recovering from a parent’s disbelief in their child.
Without self-esteem
A lack of self-confidence in the early stages of life results in a lifetime of recovery. If a kid doesn’t have confidence from their parents, they will try and make up the lack of self-confidence elsewhere. That confidence can be made up by engaging in drugs, alcohol or trying to gain self-confidence from a relationship. These are dangerous scenarios that can lead to serious addictions and relationship trauma.
Reaching success
The most successful kids have confidence in themselves at a young age. The best way to gain that confidence is from the parents. Parents are with the child from the very beginning and are the first people to trust the child. If confidence isn’t learned through the parents, someone who should know child better than anyone, then whom can believe in them, more importantly how can they believe in themselves? A new toy will only have immediate satisfaction, but having a high self-esteem will never go out of style. The gift of confidence is priceless because it lasts a lifetime.
The post The Most Important Gift to Give Your Child: Confidence appeared first on TeenLife.