subject: How To Boost Your Teens Self Esteem: A Guide For Parents By West Ridge Academy [print this page] According to West Ridge Academy, kids surely look problem-free whenever they play, eat or sleep. However, as your little ones grow older and reach the chaotic stage of adolescence, they experience more serious problems than merely getting low grades or losing at a street game.
In fact, many adolescents today look and feel more problematic than their parents! Since most teens nowadays live in an increasingly complicated environment, it's very likely that they could run into self-esteem issues which could possibly affect them even as they mature into adulthood. As parents, what can you do to help them when it comes to this problem?
The Topsy-turvy World of Adolescence Almost everyone who went through this phase would unanimously agree that the adolescent stage is one of the most confusing times that a person could have in his life. Having gone through the stage yourself, you must have known how it was like to be caught in between the carefree demeanor of being a kid and the oncoming responsibilities of becoming an adult.
Because of this, it's safe to assume that you can definitely relate with your kids if only you exert a little effort. If you just think of this fact whenever you talk to your teens, then its almost guaranteed that you will be able to get your advice and ideas through to them without hurting their feelings or inadvertently pushing them to rebellion.
Before you can reinforce any self-esteem issues of your teens and help them with their dilemma, you must first find out what it is that affects your kids self-esteem. As per West Ridge Academy, following are the two most common reasons that lead to self-esteem issues with teens: 1.Physical issues. Does your teen spend so much time thinking about his outward appearance, weight, clothes, or other such similar concerns?
2.Social Issues Does your teen have any genuinely close friends or dependable family members to count on? Affairs of the heart or poor performance in school can also affect your teen.
Improving Your Teens Self Esteem
Knowing that there are various reasons that could possibly affect your childs confidence level, what can you do as a parent? West Ridge Academy provides these tips to help you improve the confidence level of your teens:
1.Listen, and listen attentively. Many parents actually fail to really listen to what their teens are saying and this often becomes the precursor to the famed "rebellious nature" which so many adolescents are being typecast today. It has become even quite common for a lot of parents to put the blame on the teens for any unfortunate events or relationship issues in the family. You must stop this trend and dare to be different. You may initiate it with a small talk, but be sure to listen attentively to what he has to say. Engage him with eye contact and never look away while he tells you his side of the story; this will make him feel that you are really interested in hearing what he has to say and he will feel that he has somebody to depend on who will believe and understand every word that he says.
2.When giving advice or correcting a wrongdoing, dont blame him. Blaming doesn't lead to any positive result, instead it will only worsen any negative behavior that he already has. He could feel like its the lowest moment of their life, and when you say things like, It happened because you didnt try hard enough!" or something to that effect, will only worsen the situation. Try converting such statements into loving advice like, Dont worry, you can try again, dear." Never underestimate the power of positive reinforcement; sometimes it could mean the whole world of difference for your struggling and confused teen.
3.Engage in positive talk. Praise your teen for any good thing that he has done or the good traits that he possess. For example, he may be feeling low because of his low grades, but you can try and pick him up in other ways by mentioning his skills in sports, art, music, or other pursuits.
4.Bond with your teen as often as possible. Nothing is of as much value to your teen than the time that you spend with him, and it has the power to lift up his spirit when he's downcast and will make him think of you not only as a parent but more importantly as a friend to whom he can confide and share his most troubling concerns. Which is exactly the kind of relationship that you would like to develop with your teen.
From talking with them to playing basketball with them or simply sitting silently beside them as they pour out their concerns, you can do so many things to improve your childs self-esteem. Lastly, West Ridge Academy closes by leaving this thought for every troubled parent out there: "Be the kind of parent that you always wanted to be".
