by LUCIA

Created on: November 05, 2007

The most important thing that you can tell your children, is that it is vital for them to learn how to be happy with who they are. If they can understand this concept from a very early stage in life-they will not go through trying to please others.

When we are happy with you we are, we don't let others offend us or devalue us. When we know are worth, and express ourselves positively about who we are, we attract like thoughts and people.

From experience, I can tell you that I would have benefited from positive affirmations from my family. However, when we are growing up as kids, we can experience very unpleasant situations that result in making us feel inadequate and somewhat dissatisfied with ourselves.

Thus, I will let you know about some of the things that you can do with your kids to keep them motivated and happy with who they are:

1. Point out all the things that make them unique or different from their other siblings(good and bad)
-that they know their ABC's backward
-that they fear clowns

2. Let them see that it is good to laugh at ourselves once in a while.
-Life is not perfect, and we are certainly not either.
-It's okay to forget your phone number under pressure; you still know your address.
-It's okay to spill the milk or trip; you will remember that event-but also some other good things that also happened on that day.

3. Teach them to be assertive (that it is very good to say what is on their mind and to question what they don't know)

-Much of the stress that people suffer as adults, is the inability to say what is on their mind.
-Teach your kids from an early age, to defend their points of view with passion, and not be afraid to voice their opinion.

4. Praise them when they do something great, but don't forget about them when their efforts are not successful. This will re-affirm the idea that your love for them has nothing to do with being perfect, and everything to do with trust and support.

5. Don't keep them locked up, or isolated from other kids or the neighborhood.
-For one, this is not healthy.
-If you over-protect them, they will grow up being afraid of everything and everyone or:
-Make every attempt to get away from you as soon as they are able to do so.
*This would be unpleasant, being that they do not have the skills to live in a world they have not experienced (the streets).

These are only 5 methods, but I find them to be the most important. Love your kids, but don't smother them. Give them liberty to make their own choices, yet don't let them go out into the world, without first going over the information I provided above. Trust me, all these reasons, will help a lot.

Learn more about this author, LUCIA.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.