Getting all EMOTIONAL

Monday, March 01, 2010

ENSURING your child's emotional well-being is just as important as paying attention to their other needs. Your child needs to have confidence in him/herself, confidence that will help them ward off self-esteem issues and contribute to future happiness and success.

Paediatrician Dr Liana Hernandez says a child is never too young to start learning how to develop positive self-esteem.

"Even though most of the time it seems that the child doesn't understand things, the way you talk to the child from birth; the way you treat them is very important. It is very, very important in the beginning to start treating the child properly," she said.

She said believing in your child's ability to accomplish simple tasks and investing your trust in them can help to build their confidence as well.

"If the child wants to go somewhere you can explain that you cannot go here, because if you go here and you do this, it is going to cause this. You cannot treat them like they are stupid, because they are not stupid; they are very intelligent and they catch everything. When they are growing up and reach certain age, you can let them know that you trust them," she said.

She said children with low self-esteem usually have poor social and school lives.

"They are not interested in anything, they cannot do things by themselves, sometimes they are not learning well in the school because they probably think that everything they are doing is wrong or they are not intelligent enough to go ahead with certain things," she said.

Also bear the following points in mind:

1. Always be positive: Always strive to point out the good things about your child. Be sure to congratulate them when they have done well in school and sporting activities, so that they can strive to do better.

2. Show love: Your child should always be assured of your love, even at those times when you are upset about something they did.

3. Encourage them to be active: Allow your child to get involved in after-school activities or play with their friends. Most times they develop the love for a particular sport or event, which they continue with throughout their lives.

4. Talk to them: Let them know you value their opinion, so do not be afraid to engage them in conversation about general happenings in life. If they feel confident enough to speak with you, then they won't have many problems participating in class and speaking to others.

5. Encourage friendships: Allow them to form bonds with other children their age as this can make a big contribution to the development of their self-esteem. By doing so, they won't feel left out.

6. Be a shield: Try to protect them against anything that would affect their view of themselves or cause any hurt.

-- Nadine Wilson

Did you watch American football's Super Bowl on Sunday?
	Yes, but just for the advertisements
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Getting all EMOTIONAL