Show of hands. Who grew up timid, anxious, and shy…. always choosing to sit in the back of the classroom, and never raised your hand because you lacked self-confidence (basically did not believe in yourself)??? That. was. me.
I’m a mom now, and although my confidence has increased, I know the struggle is difficult for many people to achieve this character trait on their own. Knowing how big of a deal this was when I was a kid, it’s my goal to build self-confidence within my own son from day 1.
If you think back to all the success in your life what comes to mind? Were you confident? Did you believe in yourself?
“BELIEVING in yourself is the first step, followed by knowing that you CAN achieve your goals and dreams in life. This is the characteristic of someone with self-confidence.
I CAN is a such a powerful word. The funny things is it’s such a simple statement. But don’t be fooled by it’s power, especially in children.
As stated above, I was that child who grew up being “timid, anxious, shy”. I always sat in the back row and never raised my hand. I rarely involved myself in group conversations and hated trying anything new. (Change was my enemy). Now, as an adult something inside of me blossomed. I still have those anxious, shy feelings…but this time I don’t let them get the best of me. I now say YES to trying almost anything new. I have really worked hard to build my self-confidence and believing I CAN.
Confidence as sad as it may sound does NOT come natural to many people (hence, myself). I won’t go into the details of why, but I think we can all agree that the way our society is evolving has much to do with it.
The reality is, everyday life may just become harder, so it’s our job as parents to “build confidence” in our children from day 1. It’s sounds easier said than done, right?! Here are 3 simple things to help you as a parent in guiding your child to becoming a more confident person.
3 Ways to Build Confidence in Children
1. Build confidence through performance
Helping your child develop talents and acquire skills is part of overall life discipline. Sometimes these abilities aren’t recognized by children right away, which as a parent it’s our responsibility to encourage them and explore what their talents are. Here’s a FREE seminar in the Orlando area that will help to encourage these skills in children. You can click the link to register. >>Children’s Self-Defense & Confidence Workshop <<
2. Build an inner “cheer” leader
Have your child look in the mirror everyday and smile. Gush over all the wonderful qualities they have! For little ones you can start with an easy sentence as “I like ____.” and see what they come up with. Even if it’s silly this daily activity will embrace the quality of “loving who they are” because much of our self-confidence is driven from our own self-image.
3. Help them take “gentle leaps”
Have you ever been in a situation where your child does not want to do something, specifically to new experiences??? A rule of thumb I like to follow and is now becoming a habit in my life is relying on these phrases: “I know it’s hard (or you’re uncomfortable), but I’ll be with you. Let’s just give it a try” Helping your kiddo take gentle steps in achievements and accomplishments (without over pushing) prepares them for the real world when almost everyday they’ll be presented with new experiences. We all know that when we succeed at something new it sends a boost of self-esteem right to us.
Let’s build a community of children who choose to sit at the front of the room, are excited about answering questions, and engage in conversations…all with CONFIDENCE!
Here are more resources that will help to guide you in building self-confidence in your child. We’re in this together!
How do you help build confidence in your child?
