A Sense of Self-Esteem

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

~ Anna Freud 

The way your child feels about him or herself is wrapped up in the term “self-esteem”. While there are many components necessary to build a child’s self-esteem, Harris Clemes and Reynold Bean in their book, How to Raise Your Child’s Self-Esteem, believe that there are certain conditions that need to be present for children to develop self-esteem. One of these conditions is having a Sense of Models:

Sense of Models (Having healthy standards and examples)

• Knows people who are worthy models
• Can tell right from wrong
• Has a broad range of experiences
• Develops the ability to work toward goals
• Has a sense of order and priority in his life 

To Increase a Child’s Sense of Models, a Parent can:

• be good role models yourselves to the extent and in areas that you are able
• broaden his range of experiences and exposure to different people who can also be role models
• help him to talk about and understand his own beliefs
• help him to set reasonable and achievable goals
• share your beliefs without imposing them
• state your own expectations and standards clearly
• keep order in the family by communicating rules and limits clearly
• help him understand the consequences of his behavior

By Claire Gawinowicz, Certified Parenting Educator