Positive parenting tips - Proper Discipline Adds Self-Esteem
The importance of seeing and accepting your child as he/she is can't be stressed enough in order to foster their self-esteem. There are other factors that contribute to self-esteem in children. The two most important of these factors are discipline and setting limits for your kids.
Children who are not disciplined, who do not have limits, can not grow up with high self-esteem. They tend to be more dependent and feel that they have less control over their world. Kids, just like adults, are more confident when they feel they have control.
Children will run into disapproval and cruelties in the world. They need the physical and emotional protection of rules and limits for self-esteem.
Use positive discipline. Children who are disciplined with only negative consequences or through negative talk may learn to behave but they often do it with a grudge against parents and with little internal self-esteem.
Gear discipline toward the age of your child. Your child at two needs a different kind of discipline that he/she will at five, ten, and fifteen years of age. In fact, each additional year of age will have you giving up control of your child's life to your child. Letting your child control his/her life in a manner suitable to age, is one more way to grow self-esteem.
In addition, school age children transfer more and more allegiance from their family to their peer group each year. By the time your child is a young teen-ager you will have powerful competition from the peer group. That is the way it will be, like it or not. At this point your prior discipline should lead your teen-ager to self-control.
A young teen also needs independence. Teen-agers rarely need as much independence as they want, but they do need an increasing opportunity to make their own decisions, and yes, even their own mistakes. The less willing you are to grant some independence to your teen, the more likely he or she is to rebel and take that independence anyway.
Independence means they leave home before age 40! And this is good.