Giving the gift of self esteem is one of the best gifts to give your child...

I wanted to repost this for all you mommy's out there!
Meeting many people in the last two years has led me to a conclusion about life: Believing in yourself and who God has created you to be is a huge necessity to success in each journey. Almost every situation of low self esteem, addictions, social fears, and emotional problems can be traced back to childhood. Creating the opportunity for our children to develop a healthy positive self esteem is one of the best gifts we can give them. This truly is a gift that keeps on giving, to your child and through their personality to others. Training your child in the way THEY should go looks different for each child. Have fun and enjoy this great rewarding challenge we have!

The ability to adapt to life's changes is impaired when individuals hold themselves in low esteem. The development of self esteem is largely influenced by the perceptions of how one is viewed by significant others and it begins in early childhood. Here are some ways we can encourage positive self esteem in our children (Townsend, 2009) :

1. A Sense of Competence. Everyone needs to feel skilled at something. Warren (1991) states, "Children do not necessarily need to be THE best at a skill in order to have positive self esteem; what they need to feel is that they have accomplished their PERSONAL best effort."
2. Unconditional Love. Children need to know that they are loved and accepted regardless of success or failure. This is demonstrated by expressive touch, realistic praise, and separation of criticism of the person from criticism of the behavior.
3. A Sense of Survival. Everyone fails at something from time to time. Self esteem is enhanced when individuals learn from failure and grow in the knowledge that they are stronger for having experienced it.
4. Realistic Goals. Low self esteem can happen from not being able to achieve established goals. Individuals may set themselves up for failure by setting goals that are unattainable. Goals can be unrealistic when they are beyond a child's capability to achieve, require an inordinate amount of time to accomplish, and are based on exaggerated fantasy.
5. A Sense of Responsibility. Children gain positive self worth when they are assigned areas of responsibility or are expected to complete task that they perceive are valued by others.
6. Reality Orientation. Personal limitations abound within our world, and it is important for children to recognize and achieve a healthy balance between what they can possess and achieve, and what is beyond their capability or control. (Townsend, 2009)

Reference:
Townsend, M. DSN, APRN, BC (2009). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, Concepts of Care in Evidenced Based Practice: Sixth Edition, FA Davis Company, Philadelphia