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body, it builds healthy self esteem and confidence as well. A child who eats a good healthy breakfast starts his day alert, with plenty of fuel for his brain to be able to focus, concentrate, process and participate during the school morning. A child who is prepared in this way will naturally have higher self esteem than a child who struggles to concentrate, feels fatigued because his brain is running on empty, and is unable to participate effectively.

6. Respect for self esteem.
We are often unaware of how we speak to our children. We are often shocked when our child speaks to us in the same tone. The scariest part of this is, we seldom recognise our own tone in theirs.

Develop a habit of speaking to your child in the same way you'd speak to someone else's child. You'll probably find there is a difference in tone. Your best indication of whether you're speaking to your child with respect, is whether he generally speaks to you with respect.

Jake's mum constantly corrected his manners "Don't say what?' say pardon'" but when Jake spoke and his mum didn't hear him properly, she would answer "What?" With this happening consistently through his childhood, the message being programmed into Jake's subconscious is "I must speak to others with respect, but they can speak to me with disrespect." This of course translates to "I am not as important as others.

Many parents, without realising it, are not in the habit of saying "thank you" and "please" to their child, and yet they demand the child says those words to others.

7. Feeling Effervescent.
Everyone has something out there that makes them feel bubbly. Whether they know it or not. There will be something in this world that makes your child light up. Make it your mission to find out what it is. For my son the main one is rock climbing he just can't get enough of it. It's his bliss.

It needn't be a sport or hobby, it can be a good cause, it can be an interest that he just wants to research. If your child becomes involved and committed to a sport, hobby or good cause at a young age, it will give him a wonderful head start for his teenage years. He will enter his teens with something he feels passionate about, which will be accompanied by a sense of self-worth, self-esteem, self-respect, achievement, pride, responsibility, confidence; and of course it will go a long way to distract from many of the teenage problems caused by boredom.

8. The best child in the world.
If you want your child to be honest, treat him as if he is already honest. Tell him you know he has a naturally honest nature. If you want your child to be polite, treat him as if he is already polite. Tell him you're so proud of him for being such a polite child.

I'm not suggesting you lie, I'm suggesting you search as if your life depended on it, for the smallest indication of the quality you're looking for in your child. Set up situations to instigate this if necessary. And then focus completely on that one moment your child showed you that quality.

Whatever you tell your child he is, he will strive to become. Unknowingly.

Tell your child you admire his confidence and how lucky it is that he has such high self esteem and self worth.

You will find that over time, you will be absolutely right!

Learn more about this author, Odille Rault.
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