Art, obsession, and identity
Help your teen build a healthy foundation of self-worth. Emphasize your values and teach them that it’s more important to be kind and caring rather than to be thin or popular.
Trying new activities and challenging themselves can help grow teens’ confidence. However, many teens are afraid of failure and don’t want to embarrass themselves.
Micromanaging your teen’s choices will only make them believe that they can't be trusted. It’s important to balance just the right amount of freedom with plenty of guidance.
Let them experience consequences, so they'll learn from their own mistakes. Over time, they'll develop confidence in their ability to make healthy choices.
If your teen only feels good when they get a certain amount of likes on social media, they'll struggle to maintain confidence when those situations don't occur. Basing self-worth on superficial and external circumstances only leads to a lack of confidence in the long run.
Relating to them on an emotional level will only bring you closer and build trust. Remember: you don’t have to agree with your teen’s perspective to be empathetic.
Keep the relationship with your teen strong and build their self-worth by listening to what your child is saying. Everything doesn't have to be a teachable moment on your end.
Your teen’s inner monologue will play a major role in how they feel about themselves. If they're always putting themselves down, they're bound to feel bad.
Teach your teen to develop healthy self-talk, and how to reframe irrational thoughts with something realistic.
Encourage your teen to join a new club, play a musical instrument, or find a part-time job. This will help them feel better about themselves.
This one seems obvious, but your teen needs to be sure that your love doesn't depend on their grades, performance, or even their choices and behavior.
When you teach your kid to view failures as learning experiences, they can then overcome obstacles in their paths.
Your teen will learn about confidence based on what you say, or don't say, about yourself. If you're constantly making critical statements about your body or your abilities, you’ll teach your child to do the same.
It's important to let them know that you love them no matter what, and that you can both make mistakes.
Your teen can control their effort, but they can't always control the outcome. It's important to acknowledge this, so they don't think they are only worthy when they succeed.
Learn how to demonstrate the importance of loving yourself. Also, talk to your teen about the things you've done to help build your own confidence.
Mistakes and setbacks can crush delicate self-esteem. As a parent, your voice is essential during these situations.
Rather than praise your teen for getting a good grade on an exam, praise them for all the studying they did.
Teens who struggle with a certain skill may tell themselves that they're complete failures. For example, a teen who has difficulty with math may decide they're not smart.
You also make it easier for them to come to you when they do have issues.
Sources: (Verywell Family) (Good Housekeeping)
See also: Life skills parents can teach their children for success
When people get a chance to feel like they're helping someone else, it's huge for developing self-confidence. And this goes for teens as well.
To promote self-improvement in your teen, help them discover their strengths and their weaknesses. Then help them set goals, so they can work toward improving in areas where they struggle.
As a parent, seek out volunteer opportunities for your teen. It truly provides them with a chance to feel useful and to do good.
Make time to be with your teen. When you do so, you strengthen the bond you have with each other.
But once they find it, their sense of self-esteem is further reinforced by the appreciation they receive from friends and other adults.
To teach your teen about being assertive, talk to them about the difference between being assertive and being aggressive. Let them know that being assertive means standing up for themselves without being rude to other people.
Encourage your child to listen when their own inner voice tells them it's time to take a break or draw a boundary.
Knowing when to take a break and when to say no are boundaries that teens with a strong sense of self-confidence will be able to identify and stick with.
Encourage your teens to explore their interests and passions. Understand that it might take them some time to figure out what they really like.
Teens need to know how to appropriately speak up for themselves. For example, they know to ask for help when they don’t understand school work, rather than letting themselves fall behind.
For most of us, our adolescence was a time filled with self-doubt, a questionable body image, and insecurity. So it's only natural that we want to raise teens with good self-esteem and confidence. Luckily, there are a number of steps we can take that will benefit our teens in a number of ways. From modeling confidence to praising effort instead of outcome, these methods can better prepare teens to handle peer pressure and navigate challenging life situations.
Ready? Click on for the strategies that will help you instill life-long confidence in your teen.
How to build self-esteem and confidence in teens
Effective strategies to empower adolescents and build resilience
LIFESTYLE Teenagers
For most of us, our adolescence was a time filled with self-doubt, a questionable body image, and insecurity. So it's only natural that we want to raise teens with good self-esteem and confidence. Luckily, there are a number of steps we can take that will benefit our teens in a number of ways. From modeling confidence to praising effort instead of outcome, these methods can better prepare teens to handle peer pressure and navigate challenging life situations.
Ready? Click on for the strategies that will help you instill life-long confidence in your teen.