F I V E Ways to instill confidence into children

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I want to talk about confidence. I’m sharing five ways to instill confidence into children. These are five things we do in our home daily and I hope you find it helpful for your children as well. I feel like I should preface this by saying that I am not a child psychologist, or a doctor, or have any degrees in child development. Simply put, I am a mom, a mom who just wants to raise a good human who cares deeply and is proud of who he is. After all, isn’t that what all of us parents want for our children? Our world has become such a breeding ground for hate and we are all about spreading the love. More love, less hate-the motto we live by. With that being said, let’s just jump right in!

Positive Affirmations: this is a BIG one in our house! I strongly believe in positive affirmations and we use them daily. We began teaching him about positive affirmations by asking him what he loves, or what he loves doing, or what he is good at. He would be so proud to tell us different things that he is good at or his favorite things to do. We then use those things to teach positive affirmations. I love to listen to the different things that he comes up. My favorite positive affirmation is, “I am loved.” I knew before becoming a parent that letting my children know just how much I love them was SO important to me, so I make sure he knows everyday, just how loved he really is.
Starting and end the day with the GOOD: Two of my favorite times of the day are when we first wake up, and right before bed time. Every morning when we wake up, one of the first things he asks is, “what are we doing today?” We spend a few minutes discussing the plans of the day, and I always tell him why today is going to be a GOOD day. Each day it is something different, but it always sets a positive tone for our day. Then at bedtime, when teeth are brushed and books are read, we lay down together and in the dark we talk about our day. I ask him what his favorite part of the day was and we talk about why the day was good. Right before he falls asleep he always rolls over and looks at me and says, “it was a good day mommy.” It pretty much makes my entire heart melt, gosh I love being a mommy. But this simple thing gives him confidence knowing it’s going to be a GOOD day, as well as he knows exactly what to expect for that day. Routine is our friend momma’s, can I get an AMEN?
Kneeling down and getting on their level when talking to them: This is another big one for me. It’s a big world and I can’t imagine what it must be like always having to look up at everyone that is talking to you. Intimidating is the first word that comes to my mind. When I am speaking to him, I try to always get down on his level. I feel as though this also helps with eye contact as well, because I am right there in front of him when speaking to him. It also allows for you to sneak a few extra kisses and hugs as well 🙂
Teaching them to be proud of who there are: This is another biggie for me, simply because of how we live. The number one question I am asked, by far, is “what are you doing to do when he goes to school?” For those of your reading this and wondering what I am talking about, we are all about wellness in our home. Our diet is is free of gluten, dairy, refined sugar and preservatives. No one seems to think that this will ever be realistic to maintain once he enters school. People are sure he will be made fun or, or feel left out. I, however, have a different opinion to the subject. Raising our kids to be strong, and PROUD of who they are is so important in the world we live in. He is three years old and proudly asks the question, ” is it organic?” before he eats something that is given to him. He is not bothered by someone eating something containing sugar in front of him. He is perfectly happy with his healthier version toddler cookies. My point in all of this? We need to raise our children to be proud of who they are, to not be bothered by what others are doing, and not to sway. He is so proud when he asks if it’s organic, and if they say no, he says “okay” and moves on. I realize that SO much of our social society is based around food, but it shouldn’t define us. Just because we eat differently than others, or choose to live a bit differently, should never be a reason to be an outcast.
Positive Reinforcement: Alright, lastly, positive reinforcement. This seems like such an obvious thing, but I think it comes with being intentional. Each day we are always letting him know just how loved he is, how smart he is, and how proud he makes us. Kids thrive on being told that what they are doing is right, or the good they are doing. It’s our jobs as their mentors to continually remind them of just how great they are. Making a point each day to say “I love you” or “I am SO proud of you” or “you did SO good at such and such thing today” is a great way to build them up and gain that confidence for the future.

I hope you have found a few of these helpful to you! This parenting gig is our hardest work we will ever do, but also our most rewarding. The days are long, but the years are so, so short.