Small Ways to Boost Your Children’s Self Esteem

I have written before about boosting your child’s self-esteem, but today I will be discussing a few additional points as this is such an important subject. Self-esteem is simply how a child feels about himself. It is vital that children feel good about themselves because it makes them better problem solvers, better learners, and more appreciative of themselves and the people around them.

Since self-esteem is so integral to a child’s development, here are a few things you can do to boost his confidence.

1. Do not pile on the praise. This may seem counterintuitive to what you believe. Simply praising your child for everything he does is not helpful. And, research shows that it may backfire. Concentrate on praising effort. Your praise may appear fake if a child knows that he did not perform well so instead, acknowledge when your child is making mistakes and encourage him to keep trying!

2. Let your child make mistakes. When teaching a child something new, be patient and monitor what she does. Then, let her do it on her own so that she can learn from her mistakes. Too often, as parents, we do not want our child to perform mediocrely. How can she learn if she does not keep trying to do better.

3. Encourage independence. Once your child knows the difference between right and wrong and understands the consequences that come with certain decisions, let her make some for herself. Often, this can show how much you trust her and respect her choices.

4. Do not give harsh criticism. I often hear parents calling their children names such as “lazy”, “messy”, “disorganized”, etc. What we speak over our children will come to pass. They will begin to think about themselves just as you described. So, select descriptive words that are encouraging rather than discouraging and look for things that they do right, rather than what they have done wrong.

Though these steps may seem simple, following them will go a long way in building healthy self-esteem in your children.

Kids Health provides more information about the benefits of high self-esteem in children and what you can do. Read the entire article by CLICKING HERE.

African Americans and Women Played an Important Role in the Fight for American Independence

Tomorrow is the 4th of July or as Americans have come to know it as Independence Day. It is well known what this day celebrates- our hard fought independence from the British almost 250 years ago - and the many people who played key roles in the fight. We frequently think of our founding fathers as the central figures in the war. What many may not know, though, is that there were also African Americans and women who played a critical part in securing our freedom.

Salem Poor is one of those people. He was born in Massachusetts as a slave, but at the age of 22, had saved up a year’s salary so that he could buy his freedom. Once freed, he enlisted in the army and this would bring him his notoriety only a year later. Poor was instrumental in the Battle of Bunker Hill- an important battle in the fight for America’s freedom- defeating several British officers and inspiring paintings commemorating the victory.

Also Massachusetts-born was former slave Peter Salem. He was not only an important soldier in the Battle of Bunker Hill, but also in the entire American Revolutionary War. At the time of his recruitment, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety only recruited free African Americans. He traded his life as a slave to fight in the army.

Women such as Margaret Corbin also played major roles in the war. Corbin and her husband helped in defending Fort Washington, but when he got injured, she took over, manning the canon. She did not hesitate to take it upon herself to do a job meant for two.

These and many other men and women are often forgotten in history. But, do not let that happen. Teach your children about this day and all the different people who risked their lives to fight for a cause they profoundly believed in. It makes our history much more vibrant and interesting by doing so.