Fostering your child’s confidence is one of the greatest gifts a parent can bestow to their child. When a child lacks confidence, they are hesitant to challenge themselves into new things because they are afraid of failure and disappointment.
This can have a serious effect on them as they grow up as lacking self-confidence weighs them down while they are in school or in work.
To survive the adult world, kids need to learn how to trust themselves and their capabilities at an early age. As they grow, they’ll foster that trust and self-confidence through experience. By the time they are adults, they’ll have a deeper understanding of what they are capable of and how to bounce back from a failure.
Here are some tips for raising a confident child.
Be a role model
When your child sees you modeling confidence in yourself, you are already setting a good example for them. This doesn’t mean you have to be perfect or pretend to be one. You can still acknowledge your shortcomings but don’t dwell on them and focus on the positive things instead.
Accept that mistakes happen
Help your child understand that everybody makes mistakes and that the most important thing is to not dwell on them but learn from them. When you instill this mindset in your child, you are raising them to not fear failure and teaching them that they can still bounce back from their mistakes.
Encourage them to try new things
Encourage your child to try new things. They could already be excelling at one thing but it is always good to diversify their interest. When they learn a new skill, kids feel that they can overcome whatever it is that comes their way.
Allow them to fail
As parents, it is natural that you want to protect your child from failure but it is through trial and error that kids learn. Allowing them to fail makes them realize that falling short on a goal is not the end of everything.
Commend perseverance
Learning not to give up at the sight of one setback is one must-have life skill. It is important that a child must understand that life is not all about succeeding all the time, but is about resilience and trying.
Help them set goals
Set goals, whether large or small. Achieving these goals makes kids feel capable and strong. Ask your child what it is they want to do and turn them into actionable goals and encourage them to accomplish it. This way, you are validating their interests and at the same time, teaching them skills.
Applaud effort
Win or lose, appreciate and applaud your child’s effort. It is important that they know that you are proud of them no matter the outcome. What this teaches them is that it takes time and hard work to develop new skills and that results are sometimes, not what they expect.
Accept imperfection
As adults, we are perfectly aware of imperfections and it is important that kids learn this concept too from an early age. Help them understand that the things they see on TV shows or on social media are not what they all seem to be. Help them realize that the idea that others are always happy and successful is a fantasy and that imperfections and mistakes are okay.
Give and show them love
Nothing nurtures a child better than parental love. Show and tell them that you will always love them no matter what. They could top the class or lose the big game, no matter what it is, let them know that you accept them and that you love them. Even when you are mad and most especially when your child thinks he’s not doing great. Loving them unconditionally will boost their self-worth and self-confidence.
