Self Confidence

A well known quote by Author Alvin Price once said: says: Parents need to fill a childs bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world cant poke enough holes to drain it dry. To do this during the toddler years and maintain your sanity, may be hard to do is a hard task to achieve. Always keep in mind that you are your child’s soft place to fall’. There is no-one else in the entire world where he can be so completely himself as with you. Your reaction to his behavior and personality is what will determine what he believes about himself. Here are some ways in which you can build his self confidence during this stage of his development:

• Focus on what he does right too! I’ve often caught myself only focusing on the negative side of my children’s behavior. Make a mental note not only to correct inappropriate behavior but to proactively immediately praise his positive behavior. 
• Focus on praising who your toddler ARE instead of only praising what he DOES. When was the last time have you told your child: You are such a kindhearted/brave/friendly/creative child. I’m so glad I got to be your parent.
• Give him the chance opportunity to try new things and support him in his efforts no matter how clumsy it might seem to you.
• Never compare your child to any other child. If you feel worried concerned about his development or skills, rather ask yourself thise following question: Has this area of development shown any improvement in the last two to three months?’ If the answer to this question is no, it is time to seek professional help on that area of development.
• Identify his strengths and boost it. From when he was a toddler, our youngest has never been able to express her thoughts as fluently as her sister’s. We know that we have to give her extra time to communicate because of that. She is a genius with building Lego’s however and we’ve made sure she knows it!                                                                                  

Another quote makes me smile whenever I read it because it is one of the most powerful things a parent can do is to boost a child’s self confidence. I’ve seen it work over and over again in my own household. If you want your children to improve, let them overhear the nice things you say about them to others.’ Haim Ginott