Confidence is one of the most valuable character traits a person can have in life. And it comes in all shapes and sizes. Confidence can take the form of getting out of one’s comfort zone and taking risks. It can be the ability to socialise with new people and speak in front of large crowds. But self-confidence is just as crucial – the ability to love and believe in oneself.
As a parent, you want your child to be confident. Having this trait will help them to make friends, do well in their career, and leave a happy, meaningful life. But how do you instil confidence in your little ones? Here are a few tips to get you started.
Try new things
Breaking from routine is a great way to build one’s confidence and independence. That’s why parents should try to encourage their little ones to try as many new things as possible. Spend your weekends engaged in fun and exciting activities like hiking, paddleboarding, or arts and crafts. Make an effort to travel to foreign countries frequently, to enable your child to experience new cultures and ways of life. When they get into the habit of constantly escaping their comfort zone, they will learn to remain confident in any situation.
Encourage socialising
Shyness around people can really hold a person back in life, so try to encourage socialising as often as possible. Hopefully your child has plenty of friends at school, but you can help to expand their social circle by enrolling them in extracurricular clubs and classes. Learning to speak to adults is also a good skill, so get your child to practise by ordering their own food in restaurants or buying items from shops themselves.
Model the right type of confidence
Confidence can manifest itself in many ways, not all of them admirable. It is possible for a person to be overconfident, which may lead to feelings of superiority and arrogance. You should also teach your child that confidence should reflect positive character traits like intelligence and mental strength. It is not something that can be gained through popularity, fashion choices, or physical transformations like makeup or botox courses. Confidence comes from within. As a parent, you have the power to lead by example and model the right type of confidence to your child.
Embrace failure
It’s important for a child to know what failure feels like, and that is OK to not always succeed. Failure teaches a person to learn from their mistakes and accept that things don’t always work out well. It’s not good parenting to always let a child win or get what they want. Familiarity with failure will help them to gain the strength to deal with adversity when they grow up.
Show your love
Feeling like you are loved and valued can be a great confidence boost, so make sure your child knows how much you care for them. Although you don’t want to be overbearing, you always tell them you love them and show it through your actions.