Building Your Child’s Self-Esteem–A Parent’s Role

Self-esteem can be defined as feeling good about oneself. In other words self-esteem has more to do with how we feel about what we can do rather than what we actually can do. The ability to see oneself in high regard grows in childhood as a child experiences that s/he is valued.

In the Parenting Tip of the Week titled Instilling and Preserving Self-Esteem in Children, author Shari Steelsmith explains that “self-esteem is connected to two separate areas within a child. One is an inner core of trust that a baby develops by having her needs met routinely–a strong feeling of self-worth originates here. The second area is the child’s competency–when she is old enough, she becomes aware of herself as a person and judges her own abilities. Self-esteem is deeply entwined with her sense of self-worth and her sense of competency; both are critical to healthy self-esteem.” This is where parents come in.  “Parents can instill and encourage good self-esteem in their children by meeting their needs and by setting realistic expectations for their behavior.”  As parents there are things we can to to instill and nurture self esteem in our children from birth to adulthood. For age-appropriate self-esteem building guidelines that you can implement into your parenting style check out the article Instilling and Preserving Self-Esteem in Children, brought to you Parenting Press. “Copyright Parenting Press, www.ParentingPress.com, reprint by permission.”