Every mom wants to raise their children to be self-confident and happy individuals. But with the introduction of social media and an increasingly competitive culture, this may be a lot easier said than done.
In fact, many parents get so swamped with the details of their own lives that they may not even notice their children’s deflating confidence and lack of self-esteem.
It will take some creativity and intention to raise children with self-worth, values, and individuality in this new age, but it’s so worth the effort. Here are five tips for raising confident children and letting them shine.
Encourage Your Kids to Participate in Sports
Sports can be fantastic for your children’s confidence. Not only do they get to build self-esteem and skill in a fun way, but they’ll also make new friends and learn the art of teamwork. In addition, by interacting with other kids and coaches, they’ll learn fundamental life skills like communication, leadership, and inclusion.
Have conversations with your children about participating in sports. Ask them which ones they’re interested in and put an action plan together to get them signed up for those sports. Encourage them to experiment with multiple sports and stick with the ones they enjoy the most.
Give Them More Responsibility
One of the best ways to raise confident kids and let them shine is to trust them with important responsibilities. One of the most influential psychosocial stages children go through is industry vs. inferiority. In this stage, children will gain competence through added responsibilities. By giving your children this added responsibility and the tools to successfully pass this stage in life, you’re setting them up for success to build the confidence they’ll need later in life.
This is especially apparent if you have teenagers learning to drive and earning their licenses. Allowing them to do so not only gives them more independence, but also enables them to follow through with any ground rules for driving your vehicle.
However, adding responsibilities to your children’s plates requires forethought. Plan out these responsibilities with care so your children stay safe. So for any teenager learning to drive, be sure you’ve got the right car insurance to support a teen driver, so they’re protected in case of any accidents.
Practice Acts of Self-Care
Practicing acts of self-care is another way to raise confident children that shine. Self-care is so essential to confidence and embracing individuality. If you want your children to go out into the world and shine, you must show them how to care for and love themselves deeply.
The most important relationship they’ll ever have is with themselves. The best way to illustrate this with your kids is by practicing acts of self-care with them.
Here are some ideas for acts of self-care you and your children can implement today:
- Have a spa day twice a month;
- Go on walks and explore nature;
- Teach your kids about personal hygiene;
- Have conversations about internal struggles;
- Encourage them to embrace their personal style;
- Do something your children love to do every week;
- Reciting daily affirmations to boost self-confidence;
- Introduce your children to meditation and mindfulness;
- Talk about nutrition and how to fuel your body appropriately.
Limit Social Media
Even if you do everything right as a parent to ensure they go about life with self-confidence, sometimes external factors will get in the way. Now, with social media use increasing, self-comparison between children is higher than ever and causing issues with low self-esteem.
Kids may rip themselves apart for not meeting unrealistic beauty standards, not being as successful as online influencers, etc. Because of this, it’s a good idea to limit your children’s social media use.
You can limit your children’s social media each day by setting a time limit for how long they can be on these platforms. You should also limit your time on social media. Lead by example.
Practice Healthy Communication and Active Listening
Lastly, practice healthy communication and active listening with your children to help them shine and be as confident as ever. Healthy communication opens up conversations with your child that lead them and you to think, do, and be better.
Healthy communication looks like:
- Practicing active listening with your child;
- Communicating calmly;
- Listening without judgment;
- Being open to differing perspectives and solutions;
- Asking thoughtful questions and for clarification when needed;
- Committing to honesty and transparency in each conversation;
- Allowing your child all the time they need to express their feelings;
- Leaving conversations with an action plan or better understanding of one another.
Ultimately, healthy communication practices and active listening help you continually learn about your child’s wants, needs, and desires and how to help fulfill them.
Conclusion
Raising confident children and letting them shine is integral to them thriving as adults. But, you’ll find that raising confident kids is much more challenging without intention, openness, and love. So, implement the tips above to ensure you’re taking all the proper steps to inspire your children to be the best they can be.
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