Teens Corner: Ways to Increase Your Teenager’s Self-Esteem

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As parents we all want the best for our children, we want them to strive and excel and even go as far as achieving greater than we did.

When our children are suffering or struggling, we want so much to pick them up and cradle them in our arms. But, they will have to learn to stand on their own two feet. To ensure that they are prepared to do that, foster their self-esteem so they can have confidence in themselves.

Lack of self esteem makes a child less desirable and nobody wants to be with a person who does not believe in himself and doubts himself.

Consequences of lack of self esteem:

1. It affects their performance in school work
2. Limits the teenager from discovering his or her inner strengths
3. It affects the child physiologically
4. It makes them socially awkward
5. It takes a toll on their emotions
6. It affects their relationship with other people
7. It affects them mentally

A teenager who has self esteem is not afraid to reach for their goals, they experiment on new things even if it means them failing, they learn from their mistakes and forge ahead. A teenager who has self esteem is confident and he or she does not sy away from meeting with people whether old or young.  A confident adult was once a child whose self-esteem was nurtured.

As a parent it is important to spend every possible time with your children especially your teenagers, because the teenage years are the formative years. How your child ends up in life is mostly due to how his or her teenage years were spent. A teenager who lacks self esteem will most likely lack self esteem as an adult.

In order to boost your teenagers self esteem,you are advised to do the following. They may seem insignificant but at the long run, you will see results.

Be patient: Be patient with them, you do not expect to see results overnight. Show them love and applaud the,m for every little effort. Remember patience goes a long way to developing excellent character traits.

Provide positive feedback: It can be frustrating knowing your child lacks self esteem and as such you may want to abuse them, please do not. We understand you are human but when trying to increase a kid’s feeling of self-worth, it is important to keep a tight rein on that tongue. In every situation, find a positive spin to the outcome.

Listen:  Try and listen to them when they speak, pay attention to body languages and help them overcome what they are going through. If you notice they do not do much talking, you can encourage them to do so and make them know you are always there when they need someone to talk to.

Give them respect: Respect means listening when others speak, not raising your voice, and giving another chance when a mistake is made. It also means valuing the opinions and feelings of others. Speaking positively and showing respect goes a long way to increasing your child’s self-esteem.

Self-confidence will take your teenagers a long way in life, but remember it all begins at home.