Practical ways to pour high self-esteem into our kids

By Shai_Quan

When I became a mother, I knew I never wanted my children to feel the way I felt as a kid or even as a young adult. I promised to ensure that their self-esteem would be high. I remember the Pastor at my previous church, Pastor Mike Amey always sharing how he has daddy-daughter times with his daughters and how he keeps assuring them of their worth and how beautiful they are and he explained how in laying that foundation at home his girls would never have to seek validation from anything regarding them and I celebrated that so much but it made me sad at the same time because it was also a reminder of how I never had that from my father. Well he was never around but we move… things is, those kids will never have to question their GREATNESS because their dad has shown them they are nothing short of it.

I am sure I can speak for all parents and say that we all want our kids to feel that way.  Now that the kids are going back to school, we as parents have to make sure they know just how dope they are no matter what anyone else says.

High self-esteem is important for all kids. Encouraging high self-esteem in them is necessary for them to thrive. Kids these days are more cruel than I remember as a child… Though self-love is important for our kids and it is our job to affirm them regularly.

So, here are some ways to encourage high self-esteem in our kids:

1. Model it.  We have to model a GENUINE high self-esteem in ourselves so that our kids know what that looks like. Seeing is believing and trust me if we are around hating ourselves we teach our kids to do the same.
2. Affirmations. Speak life into your child daily. Let them know they are beautiful, smart, strong, kind, amazing, etc. Need help with this refer back to one of my old time favourites from the ICON Nas himself, I can. Truly a POWERFUL song.
3. Listen. Listen to your kids. Let them express themselves. Effective communication brings about confidence. Be interested in what your kids are talking about and teach them that their voice is important and powerful.
4. Do not compare. Encourage your child’s uniqueness and individuality. Comparing them to others tells them they need to be like others and what’s a world where everyone is alike?
5. Encourage strengths. Allow them to do the things they are good at. It builds their confidence and encourages them to try new things. Be sure to let them know that no one is perfect and it is ok to make mistakes. (This is important)

Parenting is not easy, but we got this. Let’s raise beautiful Kings and Queens to be just that, Kings and Queens with high self-esteem!