How To Nurture Your Child’s Self-Esteem – Mass Appeal

Nurturing Our Child’s Self-Esteem

• First and most important, never attack your child personally:
  • Imagine what it feels like to be called dumb, stupid, lazy, weak, or any other name by your mom or dad.
  • Make a commitment to never verbally assault your child.
  • It helps to give your child feedback so they develop positive behaviors—“shhh, we need to be quiet in the library; remember, it’s important to pet the puppy very gently because he’s so little”— but personal attacks/name calling only hurts them.
• Notice your child’s positive behavior and compliment her or him on these:
  • I like the way you share your toys with your little brother.
  • I see the way you pay attention to the game even when you’re all the way out in left field—way to go!
  • You got a gold star on your math homework—that’s great work!
• Give them words they can hang onto that describe their strengths:
  • You’re a loving big brother.
  • You’re a good team player and you’re good at paying attention.
  • You know how to take responsibility for getting your homework done.
• Do not give your child untruthful or exaggerated compliments as this distorts their ability to accurately assess their own attributes and skills.
• It never helps to say things that lessen your child’s grasp on reality.
• Affirming your child’s self-esteem in the ways described above does not negate the need to also give your child constructive feedback.
• We all benefit from constructive criticism when it’s delivered in a way that is indeed constructive and not hurtful.

Source: https://www.wwlp.com/mass-appeal/how-to-nurture-your-child-s-self-esteem/2051830965