The importance of a healthy self image for children cannot be underestimated. Many behavioral problems in older children stem from a negative self image.
One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is an awareness, as their parents, of creating opportunities for our children to develop a strong self image.
A healthy self image is not something that you can build for your child. \r It is a by-product of perceptions and reactions that your child forms him/herself as a result of many varied interactions and experiences over time.
It is not the result of a child\'s achievements, but rather an inner knowing of being valued and accepted for who they are not what they do, and knowing they are seen, recognized, valued and heard.
A child wants such simple things:
To be loved
To matter
To be listened to
As children grow and become aware of their own identity as separate from their parents, we can help them to connect with their sense of self by being their mirror and reflecting them back to themselves.
We can reflect to them:
* their worth and value
\r * their uniqueness
\r * their relationship to life through nature
\r * their relationship to extended family
\r * their sense of adventure and risk taking
\r * their skills and talents
\r * their inner beauty
We do this by giving them the opportunities to feel, know and experience this for themselves.
* By taking the time to tell them about their special needs.
\r * Through acknowledgment and praise of their achievements
\r * Through giving them a deep sense of connection to us as parents.
\r * By allowing relationships to grow and develop with grandparents and other family members.
\r * By making regular one on one time with them.
Children know that what their parents put lots of time into is truly important to their parents.\r Let your children know that they are truly important to you. Tell them as well as showing them.
Children learn by example and modeling.
\r Show them in your relationship with your partner how to cherish another person\'s self image.\r Model to them how fulfilling relationships create a strong sense of self image.
Make statements your children can learn from such as:
\r \"I felt really good about myself when I realized you rushed home to spend time with me\".
Our strength of purpose arises out of a sense of our identity, which brings with it the power to initiate and make choices.
We spend much of our lifetime involved in this journey around self image.
\r As St Francis of Assisi once wrote,
\"Who we are looking for is who is looking\".
Negative Self Image
A negative self image is perpetuated and enforced within us by a negative inner critical voice.
Make the voice your child hears within a positive, loving and trustworthy voice.
Create strong, clear and consistent boundaries so that your child learns to trust and feel secure.
As parents, have the awareness to work consistently on your own sense of positive self image so that your child learns from what they see, know and experience.
Helen Williams
\r Editor Consistent Parenting Advice.com
\r http://www.consistent-parenting-advice.com/index.html
Selfishness Can Be Age Appropriate In Toddlers And Young Children
We've all been there with young children or toddlers who greedily rip open presents and gifts and seem unappreciative afterward.But experts caution th...
What Is The Right Child Learning Game?
Any child learning game must accomplish at least one of several things. It must either educate about a concept, skill or an historical event, reinfor...
Helping Around the House - Starting Your Child on Chores
Chores are something every child dreads doing. How many TV sitcoms have you seen with a parent hounding a child to do his chores? While this scenario ...
Parenting Tips - Helping Kids Deal With Divorce
Unfortunately, divorce is a fact of modern life, and many couples seek parenting tips to help their children deal with the prospect of splitting up th...
Developing Self Confidence in Children - Can Parents Build it?
As a child grows in awareness, his developing self confidence reflects his positive interactions with his environment and his growing trust in both ot...
The Benefits of Getting Your Kids a Laptop
Children are masters of learning even when they are very young. Skills we take for granted all have to be learned from scratch as babies and toddlers ...
Planning Your Villa Holiday
If you are in need of a break away from the unpredictable British weather, then a Villa holiday could be just the thing you need.Villa holidays provid...
Children Can Learn Morals And Values From Books
There is yet no better medium than books to teach good morals and inculcate the right values in children. Little children love fairy tales and in thei...
Health Lighting
Healthy lighting refers to the kind of light that we experience everyday. Years ago, lighting is nothing more than giving some a good perspective or v...
How To Incorporate Charity Into Everyday Life And Family Traditions
As holidays roll around, many of us parents panic and wonder how we can cultivate charitable, gracious behavior in our children. Experts say that we ...
LASIK and Children
With its ability to safely deliver to a wide range of patients the opportunity to return to work the following day without glasses or contact lenses, ...
How to Get Your Kids to Help Clean the House
Children may not think that having a clean and tidy home is as important as you do. But with a few skills (and some patience) you can help them to cre...
Children Nail Biting
As parents, we hate our children start biting their nails. It's like subconscious thing we do: we yell at them, or grab their hand, saying "no!", but...
High Cost - Low Benefits Of Child Daycare
How Are the Low Salaries of Childcare Workers Affecting Our Children?Every day, more than eighty percent of the nation's preschool-aged children are c...
What’s for Lunch?
With school back in session many parents find themselves debating over whether to pack a lunch for their children or purchase their lunches from the s...
