How to Make Your Child Not Worry & Feel Confident

Give your child opportunities to express herself.

With the competitive and sometimes dangerous state of the world, children tend to lack confidence and feel anxious. As parents push children toward their academic and extracurricular goals, they must remember to give them the confidence needed for true success. Raising confident and worry-free children prepares them for the future and eases their feelings of anxiety and self-doubt. Parents can gradually promote the emotional development of children with simple daily lessons. Fostering the self-esteem in children early on will lead them to healthier and more productive lives.

Instructions

Building Confidence

1. Demonstrate self-confidence regarding your body image, decision-making abilities and contribution to society. Avoid putting yourself down, especially in front of your child. Model assertiveness by confidently approaching conflicts in a respectful manner rather than shying away or avoiding them.

2. Express your satisfaction in various positive behaviors of your child. Instead of praising your child for talent or ability, show your pride in his actions and choices. Rather than telling him, "You are so smart," say to him, "I am so proud of how hard you work in school." Encourage him to take confidence in his efforts.

3. Use every opportunity to show pride in the efforts of your child. Display art projects or successful school assignments up in your home to value her work. Share her positive achievements with friends and family members who will praise her as well. Record her accomplishments in a memory book or journal to share with her later in life.

Calming Worries

1. Listen to your child's concerns with an open mind. Avoid making him feel silly for petty or unrealistic worries. Justify his right to feel worried sometimes, encouraging him to open up to you. Ease his future worries by just listening.

2. Offer your child practical solutions to calm her concerns about real issues, such as grades, friends and body image. Work with your child to brainstorm ideas that will improve situations and free her from worry. If she feels worried about global issues, such as war or famine, study the topics with her to find insight on how the issues affect her personally, and ways she can get involved.

3. Fulfill your role as a strong leader for your child. Avoid making your child feel anxious or vulnerable as a result of your worries. Censor yourself in front of your child to avoid expressing fear and doubt. Model courage and give him a positive example of worry-free living.

Tips & Warnings

• Address your child by her name to boost confidence and self-worth.

• Never put a child down or make him feel inadequate.

References

• Ask Dr.Sears: 12 Ways to Help Your Child Build Self-Confidence
• Scholastic: Build Confidence in Your Child
• Kids Health: Helping Kids Handle Worry

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish