Confidence Is Fragile, Help Your Child’s Get Stronger

Psychologists have demonstrated that many of the insecurities that adults face are actually the result of your experience as a child. Children who have not been able to develop their self-confidence grow into anxious adults who often struggle with self-esteem issues. However, as a parent, it’s fair to say that you can’t be monitoring your child’s confidence 24 hours a day. How do you best help your child to gain elf-worth? There is no miracle recipe; after all, everyone is different. But you can certainly encourage them to create positive experiences. Here are some ideas to build confident boys:

Team players grow confidence in sports

Be part of a community

Some children enjoy playing a role in a social community, and can only thrive when they can interact with others. These socially active kids will grow in skills and confidence in collective sports such as soccer, where they can develop a feeling of belonging to a team. If your child enjoys kicking the ball, you could be looking for the best youth soccer development programs to encourage them to establish their role as a team player. Ultimately, the reason why team players tend to be more confident is that they have the support of the entire team!

Help them discover their passion 

Some kids are not happy in a group. Just like some adults prefer to be independent, some children are a little introverted too. There’s nothing wrong about that as long as they can feel like the time spent alone was productive. For instance, you can encourage your child to find their passion so that they can focus their energy on perfecting their skills. Painting, playing music, or riding a bike —  it doesn’t matter what they choose. Just watch your child’s self-esteem improve as they learn new skills.

Let children choose what they like for themselves

Praise them positively

Who doesn’t like a compliment? Children are no stranger to compliments. But there is a way to praise a child to help him to become confident and responsible. It’s a habit that you can start with toddlers. Here’s the key: focus on the process and not the outcome. Indeed, it would be foolish to expect from children to get everything right. Failure is part of the learning process, so it’s essential to praise children for their efforts instead of focusing on the end result. Doing so stimulates both resilience and persistence, and helps your son  handle negative results without putting his worth in doubt.

Don’t let bullies win the day

Inevitably, children might have to deal with bullying. Indeed, as kids can be very cruel, it’s difficult to avoid mean and silly comments on the playground. As a parent, you need to teach your children boundaries, so that they can report bullying behaviors when they see them. Additionally, there are many ways in which you can limit the risks of hurtful comments, either through educating other children to the difference – whether it’s a matter of culture or physical disability – or by taking preventive actions such as consulting a specialist for a skin condition, for example.

Every little step, from helping the team to win to learning to speak up to bullies, builds your child’s self-confidence. It’s not a matter of being the best. It’s about feeling valued and respected for who they are.  

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The Building Boys Bulletin

The Building Boys Bulletin Newsletter gives you the facts, encouragement, and inspiration you need to help boys thrive. Written by Jennifer L.W. Fink, mom of four sons and author of Building Boys: Raising Great Guys in a World That Misunderstands Males, Building Boys Bulletin includes:

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“I learned a lot about helping boys thrive over the past 20+ years — most of it the hard way! I’m eager to share what I’ve learned to make your path a little easier.”   – Jennifer

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