Instilling Confidence and Discipline in Your Kids

Good parenting includes instilling confidence and discipline in your kids. It involves accepting and believing in your child, giving praise where it is due, and showing your disapproval when they cross their boundaries. As parents, you have to do the balancing act to help your child become self-disciplined and self-confident.

Building confidence in your children starts with accepting and believing in them and teaching them to believe in themselves. When they do something creative no matter how small it is, make a big deal out of it. Praise them and make them feel like a star.

Never make fun of your children. Also, don't allow them to make fun of others. Your approval is very important for your child. A painful disapproval or put down can inhibit their potential in a direction that could be their ultimate success and happiness.

Regardless of your parenting style, don't be stingy in praising your child when they do something good. Plentiful praise builds self-confidence in your kids. Children need to know whether they are right and how right. This does not mean that you shower them with praise even when it is not deserved. The golden rule is to praise when it is deserved, and be honest when they have not been able to do as well as they could have done if they had tried a little harder. Always highlight the positive, and discuss the weakness for future improvement. Do not put your kids down!

Parenting is like walking on a tight-rope. You have to continuously play the balancing act, you have to play hot and cold, you have to praise in one breath and encourage them to do better in the next breath. While you want your child to be self-confident, you have to watch out that they don't become arrogant. This fine balance is not easy to achieve.

Discipline goes hand in hand with confidence. A confident child has no need to seek attention; he /or she gets enough anyway. When children are not sure of themselves they start to misbehave either because they know no other way or because they are seeking attention. As a parent, you must realize that instilling discipline in your child may be more difficult than imposing discipline, but the former is long lasting while the latter is a momentary respite. Good parenting involves creating an environment where the child understands the consequences for inappropriate behavior and that discipline will provide a better quality of life.