Mental Health Awareness: Nurturing your Child’s Confidence

Self-confidence is a never-ending journey that is often full of many twists and turns. Having the right foundation that nurtures self-confidence is key to handling life’s hurdles and instilling this in children is an important part of improving their overall mental health and wellbeing.

The concept of self-confidence is singular and because of this, I will explore multiple definitions. One of the most cited sources on self-confidence refers to it as simply believing in oneself (Bénabou & Tirole, 2002). Another popular article defines self-confidence as an individual’s expectations of performance and self-evaluations of abilities and prior performance (Lenney, 1977). Finally, Psychology Dictionary Online defines self-confidence as an individual’s trust in his or her own abilities, capacities, and judgments, or belief that he or she can successfully face day to day challenges and demands (Psychology Dictionary Online).

Self-confidence is a very important aspect of your child’s mental health and how they will carry themselves later on in life. Nurturing your child’s self-confidence plays a significant role in their lives in an increasingly harsh world.

Below are some tips to assist your child with self-confidence:

Affirm Them - Encouraging children’s first steps or their ability to learn a new game helps them develop a desire to explore and learn about their surroundings. Allow children to explore and play in a safe area where they cannot get hurt. Assure them by smiling and talking to them often. Be an active participant in their activities. This purposeful attention helps build their self-confidence and self-esteem.

Set Realistic Goals - Young children need realistic goals that match their ambitions with their abilities. With your help, older children can choose activities that test their abilities and increase their self-confidence.

Be Honest - Do not hide your failures from your children. It is important for them to know that we all make mistakes. It can be very reassuring to know that adults are not perfect. This can also be supported by avoiding sarcasm.

When your child is confident and secure about who they are, they’re more likely to have a growth mindset. That means they can motivate themselves to take on new challenges, cope with difficult challenges, and learn from mistakes. They’re also more likely to stand up for themselves and ask for help when they need it. As a parent you cannot control a lot of things that happen to your child as they grow older, however, you can find rest in the fact that you instilled a good foundation in them to face life's challenges head-on.

Written by Ratidzo Makombe

Edited by Ratidzo Mutizwa Njagu