As a parent or guardian, there’s so much to think about: earning enough money to support your family, feeding them healthy and balanced meals, getting your child or children the best education. Above and beyond these responsibilities, you’ve also got to think about raising your child to be the best version of themselves so that they can grow into a well-rounded and self-sufficient adult. Eventually, your child will need to look after themselves, without the care of their parents. So what can you do now, when your child is young, to ensure they enter adult life with confidence?
Find them a school that nurtures self-belief
After your home, your child’s school will be the most important and formative place for them, therefore, investing time in finding a school that suits them is tantamount to raising them well at home.
If your child shows a gift for sports, consider sending them to a school that puts a lot of importance on physical education and team games. Equally, if your child is a creative, look for an establishment which has great arts facilities. Regardless of their particular skill set, finding a school that encourages children to believe in themselves, for example, a school like Oxford House Private School in Essex, through exceptional emotional support and reinforcement.
An ability to engage and hold a conversation with adults will teach your child to hold themselves in conversations as an adult. Next time you have friends round for dinner, ask your child to sit at the table for at least a short time and motivate them to offer conversation topics for the table to discuss. Keep them an active part of the dialogue, and reward insightful comments with positive feedback.
While doing the grocery shopping, ask your child for their opinion on which brand of soap to buy or whether they’d rather eat one vegetable or the other. You should ensure you ask them to explain, and support, their choice and back up their argument. Practice in defending their position on a topic will arm your child with the confidence to stand up for what they believe.
Bringing them into decision making will also make them feel respected, valued and listened to; so they’ll volunteer their opinion in future, without having to be asked.
Make positive behavior part of their identity
You’ll already know the importance of reinforcing good behavior and discipline less-desirable actions. Furthermore, parents and guardians can use subtle semantic prompts actually to build positive behavior into their child’s identity. For instance, if your child is always good at helping around the house, next time you thank them say, “Thank you for being a helper” rather than, “Thank you for helping.” This subtle but meaningful difference allows the child to relate to the identity of being ‘a helper,’ so they’ll continue to act in that role as they age.
Lastly, lead by example
Confident parents raise confident children, so make sure you are a positive role model; believe in yourself, and your child will do the same.
