Tonight I'll be speaking at Temple Etz Chaim about Kids and Self-Esteem, so I have self-esteem on my brain. It's been a pop psychology buzz word for so many years, but what is self-esteem, really? It's our sense of who we are, our worth and abilities. Unfortunately, we have so much input telling us if we are good or bad, we aren't sure who or what to listen to. Our goal is to teach our kids (and ourselves) to listen to their guts and their hearts about what is right for them. Our worth isn't about pop culture's definitions of good or cool, it's about our sense of what's right and especially what's right for us! When we like who we are, we have the inner strength to stand up for what we believe in and even to stand up for others who may be wronged. Don't over-praise your kids, they will stop believing you. Compliment their actions, give them the space to struggle and then conquer, have faith in them even when they are having a hard time; let them fail, learn from it and then pull themselves back up. This parenting thing is hard, but if we can resist our temptations to jump in, we create the space for them to like themselves a whole lot!
Wishing you balance,
Bette
from 1-20-16 post on MOMIPEDIA on Facebook
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