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Self-esteem is needed by any child, just as food and water are, and although most parents realize this, most do not realize that most of what they do affects the child's self-esteem in great proportion. The thing is, Just criticizing the child for everything he does wrong and hoping that he learns from his mistakes, Like alot of parents do, is wrong. In criticizing the child all you are doing is making him/her feel inferior, and making them less sure of themselves, While at the same time, placing a label on the child, which the child tries to follow(although sub-consciously). When a parent calls the child bad, for example, it makes the child think thats what he/she is, because the parent said so, so the child acts in a way that he expects everyone to expect him to act. On the other hand, if an older person (ex.parent), recognizes the child's accomplishments(ex.good grades), than the child will realize he is being recognized, and he will strive to be recognized again in this way. At the same time the child will feel better about his or herself and strive to please the parent in more ways(ex.sports), he/she will get along better in social situations and feel more comfortable around other people, Leading toward a more productive future.The opposite is also true. If a child is belittled for his actions(ex.lazy), instead of of gently corrected, than the child will continue being lazy because of the attention he receives, although the attention is negative. And the child will also have low self-esteem, which will make him uncomfortable, agitated even, in social situations. This dissuades the child to play sports or go out in social settings. This can lead to rebellion and anxiety in the future. Conclusively, softly correct a child's mistakes instead of critically pointing them out. What you need to point out is the child's accomplishments.

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