Archives for February 2013

It is often said that kids don’t come with a handbook. While there are plenty of books out there on the subject of raising children, including those that teach you the basics of feeding and bathing, as well as those that cover cognitive development, physical milestones, and psychological growth, none can offer a blueprint that tells you exactly how to raise your child. Kids do tend to follow predictable patterns, but they’re all individuals, and you can only do your best as a parent to help them grow and develop properly. That said, there are steps you can take to achieve particular ends with your kids. If, for example, you want to ensure that your children develop the strong self-esteem that will help them to succeed in every area of life, here are a few tips to help you out.

1. Pose challenges. A person’s sense of self-worth can revolve around accomplishments, and in a very real way, one success can lead to another. As a parent, you not only have the ability to teach your children their very first lessons in life, but also to help them achieve their first successes. This starts with simple tasks like getting dressed, brushing teeth, tying shoes, and picking up toys, just for example. But as your kids begin to develop their motor and cognitive functions you can create more challenging tasks for them to complete, potentially increasing their self-esteem. If you continue to challenge them throughout their youth they will be better prepared to deal with the curveballs [Read more…]