How many times have you said, “I can’t do this.” or “This/that is impossible.” If any of you are like me, you doubt yourself every day. We all do. It’s what society dishes out. Society naturally breeds conniving individuals that inject doubt into us. It injects doubt into our children. Some do it and have absolutely no clue they’re doing it. Regardless of whether they know it or not, this doubt equals poison.
Our children’s biggest kryptonite is self-doubt. Hell, my biggest kryptonite is self-doubt. As parents and members of the community, our responsibility is to encourage them when they attempt to do great things and eliminate any notion of self-doubt. Reinforce to them that they can do whatever they choose to do. But it’s easy to say it. As parents and guardians, we have to show it.
Self-esteem is at the core of most everything we do. Think of what you’ve done because you were confident in yourself. Similarly, think of what you were afraid to do – and never did – because you didn’t have confidence in yourself. For our teens, it’s the same thing. It’s supremely critical that they find value in their daily lives. They need to know that their existence – their opinions, their viewpoints, etc. – are important to the people around them.
That phase of life tends to be a little tricky because they’re being judged a lot, especially by their peers. So, instilling confidence in them early can boost their self-esteem. With good self-esteem, they can triumph past others’ negative views of them. They can transcend those ridiculous stereotypes that society thinks about them. It’s hard enough facing the world’s negative views of them. They’re seen as different and misguided. These are things they face most every day – in the world and on the internet. It makes living nearly impossible when they come home where they’re supposed to feel safe and supported – only to face the same thing.
So, let’s support our children and show them they can reach insurmountable heights.
Weekly challenge: Give someone a compliment – one that you actually mean – especially if they’re having a rough day. Just remember, no fake stuff.
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