Whether your kids turn out to be naturally shy or outgoing, you have a big role to play in developing their confidence and making them feel like they can take on the world. Of course, everyone’s approach to parenting varies, but there are a few universal tips which we are going to discuss in this article. Both your words and actions can end up making a big difference, so we are going to talk through a few different points in this blog post which should spark off some creativity in the parenting approaches that you choose to take.
Demonstrate Love to Your Child
The basis of confidence is often formed on love. If you can demonstrate to your child on a regular basis that you love them regardless of who they turn out to be, this can end up giving them a great boost of self-esteem and assurance. Your child needs to feel accepted by you, but you can also encourage siblings to show this same level of affection, as well as helping your kids to form close connections with friends. Though it may be difficult to show a focused level of affection to your kids for an extended period of time, you should try to listen to them as much as possible, encourage them in their pursuits, and show support of their ideas.
Give Praise When it is Due
Kids of all age crave the approval of their parents, but this is especially true in younger children. This doesn’t mean that you should simply offer them a pat on the back no matter what they have done, but if you offer praise appropriately, they should start to feel confident in their achievements. Of course, it is also important to instill the values of hard work and practice in improving their talents. After all, the world is not going to be as kind in offering praise no matter what they do.
Help Your Child Set Realistic Goals
One of the great pleasure in life for adults is achieving goals which they have set for themselves. You can give kids their first taste of this feeling by helping them to set and achieve some goals for themselves. Of course, you also need to make sure that they are realistic as this can easily get disheartening if not. With younger children, the goals should be short-term as they are less likely to have the patience and fortitude to achieve them. However, over time and with age, you can support them in achieving feats which are bigger and more complex.
Give Your Kids Independence
One of the biggest steps in helping your kids to grow up into well-adjusted and confident adults is by giving them independence and gradually building this up over time. It may start out with giving them the opportunity to choose their own clothes from the likes of Nickis, but over time, you will want to allow them to go out on their own around the local neighborhood and beyond. Giving this independence is harder is the age of 24-hour news when you are brought so many negative news stories from around the world, but it is important that you allow your kids to take steps towards independence when the time is right.
Teach Resilience
As we mentioned earlier on, life is not always going to be plain sailing and there are bound to be setbacks and complications. It is how you respond to these that can end up making or breaking you. So, kids need to have these values of resilience instilled in them from a young age. You want to encourage them not to dwell on their failures and disappointments, but rather learn from them and come out the other side stronger. Try to help them with the steps of what they can do differently next time to improve their results and enjoy a more successful outcome to their problem.
Encourage Them in Their Pursuits and Hobbies
Another way that kids can gain confidence is through their outside pursuits and hobbies. First of all, you need to play a role in helping them to find their passions. Then, you need to encourage them to pursue these by enrolling them in classes, transporting them around and buying them the equipment that they need. It is a good idea for them to have both creative and fitness-based hobbies so that they learn to become well-rounded people who have a range of different interests. Even if their interests aren’t the same as yours, it is still important that you encourage them all the same.
Be Consistent in Your Parenting
A consistent and stable home life is one of the keys of encouraging your kids to be confident in the future. When your kids know the rules and boundaries, they know how they can and can’t acceptably behave. Essentially, you need to find a balance in giving them the freedom in their pursuits, while also reinforcing that there are certain consistent boundaries that they have to adhere to. As children get older, you may afford them the chance to have more input in their rules and restrictions, but you should still retain control in being their parent rather than trying to be their best friend.
Encourage Adventure and Discovery
Even though rules are important, this doesn’t mean that you should rigidly control every part of your kids’ lives. You also need to allow them the freedom to develop a sense of adventure and joy in discovery. With younger kids, you may need to have a bigger role supervising from the sidelines. Day trips, vacations, the pursuit of hobbies, reading…these are all ways that kids can become more curious and adventurous.
Building confidence in your kids is something that you will keep doing for them throughout their childhood, and even into their adult lives. These are just a few of the best ways that you can achieve this.