Weighing The Facts: self-esteem in children

Self-Esteem:
noun

a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself; self-respect.

dictionary.com

Positive Self-Esteem is essential to a happy, healthy life. It gives us the ability to adapt, grow, cope, and survive. It allows us to successfully navigate the frustrations, difficulties, and problems that we will inevitably be faced with along the way.

Parents are crucial to a child’s positive sense of self. A parent’s role is to provide stability, security, and love so children will flourish and grow to be self-confident, responsible, and capable. It is of great importance that parents are role models who display a positive view of self so the child will learn by example.

Self-esteem isn’t arrogant, self absorbed, or narcissistic. It’s a healthy understanding of who you are. It is liking yourself for who you are.

When a child (or adult) has a positive self-concept they are empowered, and protected. Understanding yourself, your beliefs, strengths, and even weaknesses, strengthens a child’s ability to understand, withstand, cope, and handle difficult situations and decisions...
Fostering Positive Self-Esteem In Children

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Check out Dove's Toolkits and Resources:

1 on 1 Activities for Girls Aged 8-12 and 13-18

A Girl’s Guide to the Digital World—How to Log Off of Digital Drama!

Self-Esteem Guide for Moms of Girls, Ages 8–11

Self-Esteem Guide for Moms of Girls, Ages 11–16

True You! Workbook for Girls 8–12

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Weighing The Facts:

Tests: How is your self-esteem?

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Silverstone defines self-esteem as "the sense of contentment and self-acceptance that stems from a person's appraisal of their own worth, significance, attractiveness, competence and ability to satisfy their aspirations" (Silverstone 1992).
Read about self-esteem, it's development, and importance in this excellent article by Kathy Hanlon.

"Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and our behavior clearly reflects those feelings. For example, a child or teen with high self-esteem will be able to:

act independently

assume responsibility

take pride in his accomplishments

tolerate frustration

attempt new tasks and challenges

handle positive and negative emotions

offer assistance to others

On the other hand, a child with low self-esteem will:

avoid trying new things

feel unloved and unwanted

blame others for his own shortcomings

feel, or pretend to feel, emotionally indifferent

be unable to tolerate a normal level of frustration

put down his own talents and abilities

be easily influenced"

The above from: Helping Your Child Develop Self-Esteem
A strong, positive sense of self is important in everyday life, and a powerful weapon against eating disorders.

Some simple ways to help build self-esteem in your child:

"Be generous with praise. Parents must develop the habit of looking for situations in which children are doing good jobs, displaying talents, or demonstrating positive character traits. Remember to praise children for jobs well done and for effort.
Teach positive self-statements. It is important for parents to redirect children's inaccurate or negative beliefs about themselves and to teach them how to think in positive ways.
Avoid criticism that takes the form of ridicule or shame. Blame and negative judgments are at the core of poor self-esteem and can lead to emotional disorders.
Teach children about decision making and to recognize when they have made good decisions. Let them "own" their problems. If they solve them, they gain confidence in themselves. If you solve them, they'll remain dependent on you. Take the time to answer questions. Help children think of alternative options.
Show children that you can laugh at yourself. Show them that life doesn't need to be serious all the time and that some teasing is all in fun. Your sense of humor is important for their well-being."

The above from: Your Child’s Mental Health: Building Self-Esteem in Children
See how you score on this quiz about eating disorders and self-esteem: Eating Disorders & Self Esteem Quiz

See sidebar for list and links to Resources and Tools for more self-assessment tests.

For more information please visit: National Association For Self-esteem

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/Ca-0048/default.asp
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/esteem.htm#Risk%20Factors%20For%20Low%20Self-Esteem...
http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/parenting/self_esteem.shtml
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