With confidence, your child will tackle the world with ease! Fear and doubt will not exist nor be a part of your child’s vocabulary.

When my son was a baby, I made a vow to ensure that I would always be there for him so he would always have confidence. So whenever he would cry, I was right there within seconds. Eventually, he didn’t cry long because I suspect he felt that mom was always near 🙂

Since confidence is one’s belief in their own ability, it stands to reason that confident people tend to believe they can conquer the world and thereby are not afraid to try new things. When are teen grow up with that mindset accompanied with a good sense of self worth and tend to become happy adults.

As parents, we can help build our teen’s confidence by committing to doing the following:

Encourage your teen to get involved in different activities.  At the same time ensure that you are available to support them during these activities, providing much needed encouragement along the way.

Allow your teen to make their own mistakes and help them to learn from them. You can help your child by posing alternate ending scenarios specific to their particular mistake; this will help them to make better choices next time.

Support their interests.  I told my son in a book I wrote specifically for him called, “What I want my Child to Know…A Mother’s Loving Advice” I am his biggest fan, and I meant that! I can’t stress it enough. Encouragement goes a long way, to instilling confidence in your kids.  My son is an Army soldier and I never miss an opportunity to tell him how proud of him I am and that, “i’m your biggest fan” It’s so important for your child to know that they have loved ones in their corner.

Instill trust. Like I said earlier, I was able to gain my son’s trust simply by being there when he needed me, which gave him the reassurance he needed. Once your teen has trust in you they are free to develop and build trust within themselves simply by your example.  Your good example and safe home environment is just the foundation your teen needs.

Provide your teen with choices.  This way they can begin making their own decisions.

Spend time together Your child is only a child once, so spend as much time with them as possible. Your time is the most precious gift you can give to your child.

Try your best never to criticize your child excessively. They will hear it enough from the outside world, so they don’t need to hear it from the ones they love. Sarcasm, insults, negativity only hurts them in the long run–and creates distance between you the parent and your child. Remember, your child is developing, so help them develop by instilling positive attributes. It is far better to point out the positive vs. the negative. If the positive attributes get attention, your child may refrain from the negative.

Last but certainly not least:

Always be a positive role model show your child what a positive confident person looks like. Be the best example to your child.  If you are confident, your child will aspire to be just like you.

Food for thought. As usual, I like to know your thoughts

~ D. Linn Whorley