Parents can Help Their Kids Feel Great About Themselves in 3 Simple Steps even when they don’t get what they want!

2. Parents can help kids to stop  DEFINING AN EVENT as “who they are.” For example doing poorly on a test does not mean that they’re stupid, but rather can show them where they need to study harder. When kids learn how to separate events from “who they are” and to choose their experience of those events, they will learn to feel good about themselves no matter what comes their way.

3. NEGATIVE SELF-TALK creates an undercurrent of self-doubt which erodes self-confidence and self-esteem. The key to building great self-esteem is to first notice and stop negative self-talk and to proactively start positive self-talk. Positive self-talk actually rewires your brain by creating strong neural pathways for feeling good about yourself.

Here are two clues to to help parents understand their child’s self-esteem:

a. Notice how they talk about themselves.

b. See how they interact with others

Help them by:

1. Encouraging them to practice rethinking a situation when things don’t go their way.
2. Make sure they hear you use positive self-talk.
3. Encourage your kids to focus on their strengths

ACTION: Practice these tips by sharing these three situations with your kids.

1. Failing a test

2. Making a mistake during a game

3. Not being invited to a birthday party