Don’t Let Your Kid Believe These 6 Myths About Confidence
There are many myths about confidence that can affect kids these days. It’s hard to grow and strengthen a child’s self esteem but you’ll be steps ahead when you eliminate these misconceptions and focus on reality.
Learn more about these myths:
Myth 1: Success is necessary for confidence.
Even though success can give your confidence a boost, it’s not a requirement to have it.
- Your child can have confidence without some great big success.
- It’s important to notice your child’s small wins . Even simple things like making your bed every day or listening to a friend’s troubles have value. Your smile or head nod can acknowledge a chore well done or a good effort.
- In fact, experts share that in order for you reach the highest levels of success, you need to have confidence first. You can start small and encourage confidence to grow. It will grow over time with each new goal being reached.
Myth 2: Only extroverts, outgoing children, can be confident.
You can be an introvert and still have high confidence levels.
- There are extroverts who aren’t confident.
- Being an extrovert or an introvert isn’t the reason why you have or lack confidence. There are other reasons and factors involved.
- It’s not necessary to be an extrovert to have confidence. Kids don’t have to be the center of attention or the life of the party to get noticed. Confidence is internal and depends on your child’s thoughts.
Myth 3: Kids have to be confident all the time or something’s wrong.
The truth is that confidence levels can go up and down.
- Your child doesn’t have to be confident every hour of every day.
- A person’s self-esteem will change and fluctuate over time. This is normal and not something to be concerned about. It’s a not a bad life, just a bad day.
- You may have fears that cripple your confidence on occasion. Don’t pass these on to your child. The key is to work through them and keep going. Feelings of uncertainty and insecurity will happen but you and your child can work through them and go forward. Even with fear, do things that make you nervous to prove to yourself that you can rise above. Your child will benefit from this idea as well.
Myth 4: Your child has to love being the center of attention to show confidence.
Kids don’t have to be at the heart of all conversations and activities to have confidence.
- It’s normal for confident people to want to avoid the spotlight sometimes.
- In addition, many confident people still hate public speaking and large parties. Confidence isn’t directly linked to being the center of attention.
Myth 5: A child must be born with confidence.
Although some people seem to naturally have more confidence, you don’t have to be born with it.
- Confidence isn’t built into your DNA like eye color or hair color.
- It can be learned and acquired over time. You can set an example and teach it to your child. For example, you’re not born with a natural ability to write or read. You learn these skills as you get older, and the same concept can be applied to confidence.
- It’s possible to help your child develop more confidence. It’s also possible to help her conquer the fears that are holding her back.
Myth 6: Your child will increase her confidence by comparing herself to others.
Whether your child compares herself to people who are ahead of her or those who are behind her, that is not the way to increase self-esteem and confidence.
- Research shows that comparing yourself to others actually hurts your confidence levels. When your child does this, remind her that there are all different kinds of people in the world. Just as there are different levels of confidence. And with these different levels of confidence, people succeed in life. It would be boring if we were all the same.
- If you’re child is focused on others and their success, then she’s not growing herself. She’s not working on her own issues and challenges to reach higher.
- By looking at other lives and contrasting them with her own, she’s feeding her own insecurities. Remind her that we don’t always know what goes on in the private lives of other people.
Confidence myths can inhibit your child’s progress and hurt her self-esteem.
She doesn’t have to believe these myths anymore. Help her leave them behind and start building greater confidence today!
About the Author Angie J. Hernandez, C.Ht.
A graduate of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, Angie J. Hernandez, C.Ht., has her private practice in Milford, Indiana. She is certified in hypnotherapy by the Hypnotherapist's Union Local 472. Angie is the author of "Weight Loss Epiphany: The Workbook", "Charlie's Cuddly Animals for Little Geniuses" and "Weight Loss Hypnosis: Lose Weight with Hypnosis Scripts & Recordings". You can find out more about Angie and how to schedule private sessions by calling (574) 658-4686.
