5 TIPS FOR RAISING CONFIDENT DAUGHTERS March 3, 2021 – Posted in: Lifestyle, Parenting – Tags: , , , , , ,

As parents, we naturally want only the best for our daughters. We want her to possess the ability to make good friends, the wisdom to make good decisions, and the strength to cope with the ups and downs of life. But as teen years approach, many once confident and talkative girls turn into sullen shells, become shy, and self-esteem plummets. According to the survey* of nearly 1,400 8- to 18-year-olds, their parents and guardians, girls’ confidence drops by 30% between the ages of 8 and 14. The survey also found that three out of four teen girls worry about failing.

Why having confidence is important?

Confidence is the belief that you will be successful and it is related to self-esteem and resilience. Confidence helps your daughter to make safe, informed decisions and avoid people and situations that aren’t right for her.

Your daughter needs a strong relationship with you to feel confident. Below are 5 tips for you to help your daughter grow into a strong, confident adult with a healthy self-worth.

 

 1. Encourage her interest

Look for ways to build on things your daughter is already passionate about and explore options for her to use these interests to sharpen her skills or to acquire new skills.

When your daughter has natural strengths or talents – whether it’s dance, mathematics, soccer, chess or other areas – encourage those pursuits. When she knows that she has an area in which she feels confident, it can act as a touchstone to build confidence in other areas of her life.

 

2. Point Out Social Media Pressure

Social media is a two-way sword. On one hand, it can help to boost a girl’s self-esteem whenever she gets a lot of likes and follows but on the other hand, the girl may be subjected to brutal criticism or bullying, which will negatively affect her self-worth.

Do also talk to your daughter about the unrealistic media images and the pressure for women to look and act in certain ways so that it will give her a powerful reminder that those messages are untrue.

 

3. Be a Model of Confidence

Sometimes, women inadvertently send messages to their daughters by focusing on their own weight and appearance like “Oh I need to lose weight” or “I can’t wait to get rid of these wrinkles”, and that sends a message to the girls that they need to focus on their appearance because their self-worth is connected to their appearance.

So, be careful of what you say when your daughter is around. Don’t criticise yourself or others, and do not make your own happiness dependent on other people or circumstances.

 

4. Give Her a Safe Place to Express Herself 

Your daughter has her own opinions and insights. What you can do is to listen, ask about them and avoid reacting negatively, even when these opinions and insights might not reflect your own.

Create a safe place for your daughter to process difficult situations and give her the freedom to talk about the challenges, peer conflict, and gripes about “unfair” teachers. Then, explore ways on how she can manage these situations with confidence, addressing others in a way that is respectful while keeping her self-worth intact.

 

5. Praise the Effort

It’s easy to go overboard, singing praises about your daughter’s awards, accolades, and achievements. Unfortunately, these things can become tied to her self-esteem, causing her to feel she’s only worthy if she achieves, and that she isn’t worthy if she falls short or fails. Instead, congratulate her on her accomplishments, milestones, and growth by emphasizing her hard work, effort, and perseverance.

Focusing on the characteristics that got her to this point will help her make the connection between her effort and the result.

Effective praise can build resilience, confidence, and self-direction.

 

 

Note *: https://www.confidencecodegirls.com/poll