As parents, it is our responsibility to guide our children to live the best life possible. Unfortunately, this natural inclination for guidance can sometimes produce disappointing results. Therefore, whether you have a newly born infant or are parenting your tween/teen, these seven sure-fire ways will provide you with tools to raise confident and successful kids that don't just know their parents love them but love themselves.
Teach your kids the difference between right and wrong
We all know this is a great idea, and hopefully, we do it all the time. Parents who instill the notion that no bad choices are acceptable and will always be punished for their wrongdoings seem to do a much better job raising confident kids. Well, guess what, the opposite is also true. Parents that do not punish bad behavior directly cause kids to feel like their actions don't have consequences. This makes your children more likely to act out in class and become aggressive with peers.
One of the most important things you can teach your infant is cause and effect relationships.
This applies to all acts of bad behavior, from willfully breaking a toy to hitting a sibling. When you let children know that their actions have consequences, the chances of ensuring they grow confident soars through the roof.
Show appreciation and respect for yourself and your children
All people want to be appreciated and respected for who they are and what they do in life. This is especially true for children. Children who are told they are clever by their parents will usually do well in school and become confident adults. However, children whose parents treat them poorly, don't support them, or aren't respectful of their efforts will usually have low self-esteem and worse behavior when they become adults. Therefore teach your kids always to appreciate themselves and others.
Teach your children not to be afraid of trying new things
We all know this is a great idea, but unfortunately, most adults are very bad at it. However, adults who do this the best can raise confident and successful children. Take a look around your friends, family members, and co-workers. When you see kids that try new foods, dress up or express themselves in unconventional ways, chances are their parents or caretakers encourage them to do so. This is a concept that many adults struggle with, and it's a problem.
Children need to know that the world is full of different people, environments, and experiences. When you
encourage your kids to explore all these environments, they become confident and successful adults because they are prepared for the real world. We all know this is supposed to happen, but many adults don't let their children express themselves in any way they please or fail to teach them how to make wise decisions when doing so.
Give your children structure and limits
We all want to raise confident kids who will become adults and live life on their terms with minimal parental oversight. Unfortunately, many families do not give their children enough structure in life. When they do not get structure, they grow up with no rhyme or reason for why they should be doing any particular task or how to complete them.
Children thrive when you provide them with rules, boundaries, and consequences for breaking them. However, children do not do well when you are so strict that they are unwilling to take any risks to explore. We all know this is supposed to happen, but many parents are so terrified of being overly restrictive that they never discipline their children. When you give your kids the structure they need to feel safe and develop healthy behavior patterns, the chances of growing confident kids soar through the roof.
Encourage realistic expectations in life
We all know this is a great idea. Many of us believe that we are doing this until it's time to be realistic about losing weight, having the best
pre-K math skills, getting better grades, or making more money. Unfortunately, when we get to this point, we tell our children what they want to hear to make them feel better. Well, guess what, if you do this, you will fail at raising confident and successful kids.
There are two reasons why it is hard for most parents to be realistic with their children. The first is that parents are often too concerned about the feelings of their children. When you let your kids know that they will not be able to do everything they want, get what they want, or always be happy, you are upsetting them. Perhaps this is because of your fears of failure or unrealistic expectations for yourself and your children.
It is so hard to be realistic with our children because we love them so much and don't want to see them upset or disappointed in life.
However, when you give in to these feelings for too long, chances are you will end up with children that are more frustrated and unhappy than they need to be. When you encourage your children to grow up with realistic expectations in life, the chances of growing confident and successful kids soar through the roof.
Teach your children to be very honest about their feelings
Children will learn how to express themselves better when they know that their parents and teachers will take their feelings seriously. When you teach your children to be very honest about their feelings, they will tend to develop healthy emotional responses in life. When this doesn't happen, chances are your children will never become confident adults.
There are many ways to
teach your children how to be honest about their feelings. One method is to tell them that honesty is the best policy when dealing with conflict or anything that harms their lives.
Another method is to tell them that when they feel like sharing how they think about something, you will always listen and encourage them to be honest. However, when your children want to share their feelings but don't want you to listen or acknowledge what they are saying, you will let them know that it's okay if you hear and not speak at all.
When we do these things, we ensure that our children know we are adults that can be trusted and always have their best interests in mind.
Encourage your children to be flexible and work on new ideas
It is tough to try something new in our lives because we are afraid of failing or making a mistake. As parents and teachers, we need to encourage our children to be flexible and try new things despite their fears of failure or making mistakes. If you don't, the chances are good that your children will grow up with poor self-esteem and an inability to take risks in life.
When your children are faced with new situations in life, they need to know that their parents and teachers will always help them find the solution. However, when you make it difficult for your children to do this, they will never become confident adults.
Raising confident and successful kids takes a lot of hard work. However, when you set the right intentions from the beginning, you give your children the best chance of becoming confident and successful adults. To do this, you must be willing to focus on what matters most. For example, if your child has a
dyslexia problem, you need to always be present in their life and help them learn to adapt through games with benefits for their confidence to grow.
Always remember that your children need to know that you love them, respect them, and want what is best for them in life. Don't fall prey to the excuses or distractions out there that will keep you from focusing on the right things when raising your children. You give your children the best chance of growing up to be confident, successful adults when you do so.
