by Leeanna Haugen

Created on: March 28, 2009

Have you ever heard that phrase "if you hear it enough, you begin to think it is true"? Children are especially prone to base how they feel about themselves by how other people respond to them. As parents, we have the ability to show are child how great they are. Here are a few ways we can build our child's self-esteem and our bond with our child.

1. Tell them what you like about them. Everyday tell them how smart, funny, cute, nice, and wonderful they are. I started a game with my children where I say "your cute", "Your adorable", "your smart", "your funny", etc. The game is to see how many positive adjectives I can come up with. So, now my girls come up to me and tell me "mom you are beautiful", "mom your funny", "mom your magnificent", etc... I tell you, it not only builds their self-esteem; I must admit I like to be told those things too.

2. Praise all the good things they do. If you notice that your son put his truck away without you having to say anything, tell him how great he is for pitching in like a big boy. If your child comes and gives you a big hug, tell them how much you love their hugs. I know we all feel those things, but it is important for children to hear the praise.

3. Do not use abusive language around your children. Not only should children be called names and whatnot, they should not hear that language at all in the house. If mommy and daddy are having an argument, they should not hear mommy and daddy saying negative things about each other.

4. If they do fail at something, praise them for trying and move on. We all fail before we learn anything. Having someone remind us only hurts our feelings and discourages us from trying again.

5. Enroll them in a class doing something they like. If a child has an area that they excel at, encourage them to work more on it. This builds confidence in their abilities, therefore, building self-esteem.

6. Above all, having your unconditional love and support. Everyone needs a soft place to fall. We need somewhere we can go when life is getting us down. This place needs to be safe and free of judgement. This place should be their home. When they had a hard day at school, they should know when they come home they can relax.

Just the fact that you are reading this shows you want your children to believe in themselves. That is a great step to ensuring your child has a wonderful self-esteem.

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