How should parents approach children with very high self-esteem?
How should parents approach children with very high self-esteem?
Sümeyra Nur Körken
Healthy self-esteem includes recognizing one's strengths, having the motivation necessary to achieve goals, and coping with challenges, contributing to effectiveness in various areas of life. However, extremes such as excessive or low self-esteem can lead to some problems. Balanced self-esteem allows a person to maintain confidence in oneself while continuing to show respect and collaboration with others. Children with too much self-esteem may encounter situations where self-esteem exceeds a healthy level. This situation can lead to various challenges. Here are some points to consider when dealing with such children:
Realistic Feedback: Help the child understand their true potential by providing realistic and balanced feedback along with positive feedback.
Responsibility and Initiative: Assist the child in developing a sense of independence by giving age-appropriate responsibilities. However, ensure that these responsibilities are balanced and guiding.
Empathy Development: Teach the child to understand the feelings of others and develop empathy. This can strengthen their social skills and help them communicate more effectively with others.
Consider Different Perspectives: Teach the child to respect different perspectives and understand that others are valuable too. This can help them develop collaboration and teamwork skills.
Coping Skills: Teach the child skills to cope with challenges by positively evaluating failures and mistakes.
Balanced and Diverse Experiences: Support the child's development by allowing them to gain experience not only in areas where they are strong but also in different skills and subjects.
Recognizing Own Emotions: Provide support for the child to recognize and express their emotional responses. This can help them develop emotional intelligence.
Guidance: Offer guidance to the child, providing opportunities to learn from others' experiences and opportunities for self-improvement.
With these strategies, you can help the child move their excessive self-esteem to a more balanced point and contribute to their social adjustment.
Remember that every child is different. Understanding and meeting the individual needs of children can help them grow and develop in a healthy way. Therefore, adopting an individual approach considering the characteristics and needs of your child is important.
