“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin
Young parents often helicopter children more than appropriate support. Of course, protecting our children is our job! But we also don’t want to standoff the development of their self-confidence.
So how do we hit that moderation between appropriate support and over-protection?
Give Praise
Praise them for little things they do, even if it’s not with perfection. Your encouraging words help develop their confidence. After all their efforts and approach is worth the appreciation.
Ask for Advice
Take their opinion in matters that concern them. It makes them feel valued. You never know, their ideas may actually help you out.
Small Jobs
To build your child’s self-esteem, you need to allow him/her to manage things on own and not just show them how to do it. Give them tasks to complete independently. It helps them to display their skills and take pride of their contribution.
Don’t Rescue
Let them help themselves out. In order to make them self-reliant, you need to hold yourself from rescuing them every time they are stuck with something. Being a parent, you know your child’s competence and you can envisage how much independence you can give him/her to foster self-confidence.
Resist Comparing
Every child is different and is good at things differently. Most parents, in the advent of giving examples, draw comparisons in children, killing his/her joy. It is an inevitable human trait but it is counter-productive.
Less Negativity
Avoid using statements as ‘You can’t do it’ or ‘You are too young to do it’. Engage in more positive words like ‘I will help you with it’ ‘We can do it as a Team’.
Although it has become a commonplace idea that children, from a young age should demonstrate confidence in all aspects. Know that, this happens gradually after the child overcomes certain challenges.
