A child's self-esteem

Building a child’s self-esteem should be a parent’s number one concern aside from food, clothes and a roof over their head. Self-esteem is something that is very hard for an adult to acquire if the seeds weren’t planted in them as a child. Adults with high self-esteem are leaders and well adjusted. Even if they are a housewife, one with high self-esteem will readily encourage their children and be the best mom possible. They make the best parents, co-workers, bosses and neighbors. But if you feel you don’t have high self-esteem – don’t fret – you can still build it up in your child. A child’s self esteem can be easily built up by their parents or guardians. Most of the job falls on the parents or guardians – but a small percentage rests on the teachers, mentors, and others who care for them. It’s a job that shouldn’t be taken lightly – but that is easy to accomplish, too. It’s just as easy to tear down a child’s self-esteem, as it is to build it up. The next of kin to praise is encouragement. Encouragement will take a shy child to levels of confidence that will cheer them on to do greater things. Encouragement coming from the very ones the child believes to be the biggest and the best in the world (their parents or guardians) brings on tremendous and positive results. Even if you feel your child isn’t receptive, you’d be surprised to watch, when you’re not around, your child take those steps in whatever feat – hearing in the back of their mind your encouraging words to move onward. Lavish on the encouragement and rub it in with praise. So many children grow up with little to no confidence in themselves and it’s because the parent or guardian never took the time to add the two ingredients into them - praise and encouragement. Sure, you can love your child and not offer those two things, but you will be so much more the parent if you make it a daily habit of pouring praise and encouragement into your child. Even if your child doesn’t do anything worthy of praising, find something, anything to praise and encourage. And then step back and behold. Your child will bloom and blossom before your very eyes into a person who can accomplish anything. Also read:http://www.helium.com/tm/325314/parent-caretaker-plays-important

Help her find something she's good at and encourage her to work hard to keep improving. Also, teach her new skills, especially a skill that others of her age are unlikely to have mastered. My 11yo and 8yo dds are very proud of being able to cook dinner without assistance, and my 6yo and 5yo sons are proud of being able to do laundry. I once helped my very unconfident stepdaughter sew a simple skirt (she was 11), and the feeling of competence made such a difference for her.