Self Esteem - Part 2

Last week in the first of our series on self esteem we defined the term. Now that we are on the same page let's move on!

The remainder of this series will be to share ideas on how to build self esteem in your children and particularly those with special needs.

Let's start at the very beginning - babies and toddlers.

You might think - babies need self esteem? Yes, from the very beginning your child's sense of confidence is being built. Confidence equals self esteem. Here are some tips:

- When an infant gets what she/he needs, such as a bottle, a diaper change, play time and those things become predictable - this routine starts to build confidence. So, don't worry about catering to your child's every whim turning them into a needy child - the opposite will happen they will become secure and confident.

- Setting boundaries is important to building confidence as well. If you protect your child from danger but telling the toddler not to bang the toy on his/her head, ultimately this act will prove your love even though they might not think it at the time! The loving care is an important block in building the confidence that leads to positive self esteem.

- If you feel that you child has a hard time doing anything on his/her own due to the nature of the special need you might be wondering how that will affect self esteem. We will be revisiting this throughout the series as it is important at all development stages, but the basic idea is that if you make a task manageable for the child by assisting them in completing it - confidence will be gained and self esteem will be had. Just because there is help or assistance does not mean that the chances for self esteem boosting are gone.

What do you do or did you do with your infant children to boost their self esteem?