What makes you important?
What makes you good enough?
These are critical questions to ask your children…
…and offer a great “teachable moment” for you!
So often children think that what makes them “good enough” and what makes them important are things such as…
….having good behavior
….getting good grades
…..playing well in sports
…..having a lot of friends
As a result, their self-esteem may become dependent on how they are doing in school, what their friends think of them, and how well they are behaving.
This can be dangerous thinking as kids look outside of themselves to feel good about themselves or to feel like they are “OK”.
- What happens when he fails a test?
- What happens when her best friend decides not to be friends anymore?
- What happens if he strikes out and his team loses the baseball game?
Basing self-esteem on things outside of yourself leads to yoyo self-esteem – feeling good about yourself or bad about yourself based on how you are doing. This type of thinking can be emotionally draining and damaging for our children.
It is critical that our children understand that what makes them “good enough” is… absolutely nothing!
There will only be one of them on this planet – EVER.
The fact that they are a unique human being – the only them that will ever live – makes them important. We all have gifts and talents and we all have a purpose in this world.
What makes them good enough is that they are themselves!
Enjoy connecting with your kids!
Renaye
Copyright (C) 2011 – 2022 Renaye Thornborrow. All Rights Reserved.
