by David Aaron White

Created on: August 31, 2009

Self-esteem can keep us afloat when our lives become miserable. If you have something to feel good about, how hard can it be to get out of bed? Knowing that you have a respectable quality or accomplishment is enough to make you crack a smile every once in a while; however, not all teens have this luxury. Yes, some children suffer from a severe lack of self-esteem; this may not be anyone's fault, per se, but there's definitely something that you can do about it. Here are some sure ways to promote self-esteem in your teenager:

*Find out what your child's strengths are. Is your child an avid writer? Runner? Math whiz? Ask your child what he or she really enjoys doing, and chances are he or she will respond with the activity that he or she is best at. There aren't many people out there who enjoy doing something they're completely unskilled at (unless they're learning, of course), so find out what your child likes to do before you attempt to encourage him or her through anything else.

*Be there to encourage your child. If your child plays on a sports team, go to his or her games and cheer your teenager on. "Good hit!" or "Nice effort!" are just a couple of the small expressions that your teenager would secretly love to hear from you. Any sign of encouragement that you can offer your teen while he or she is performing is a blessing, and this encouragement can not only motivate him or her to do well, but it also lets your child know that you support him.

*Just because the game's over doesn't mean your child isn't thinking about it. After your child has performed, you should be there to tell your child just how proud of him or her you are; don't overdo it, but give an accurate opinion about how you enjoyed whatever it is your child did. Let your child blush as he or she is told that his or her performance was spectacular; and if it wasn't spectacular, then focus on talking about the "effort" your child put into the sport or activity.

*Talk to your child about ways to improve his or her skills. Improve? But doesn't this mean you have something negative to say about your child's actions? Sure; if you don't criticize your child, then you're telling him or her that you don't really care about how he or she is shaping up. Of course, once you've told your child what to do to become better at his or her passion, be sure to include some elements of it that you're very impressed by, just to keep him or her from becoming too upset.

*Give your child some freedom. Teenagers love it when their parents trust them to handle their own lives, so there needs to be a point at which you just let your child go and trust him or her to do what's best for him or herself. A great way to promote self-esteem is to just sit back and smile when your teenage son walks out the door with his football pads on; let your child know that he or she is the one doing the work, not you, but that you're still there to watch every once in a while.

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