Teach Your Child to Have Confidence in Himself

Overcoming self-doubt and having confidence in ourselves is a challenge. Start teaching your child how he can believe in himself now. Building on that while he is developing will help him grow into a confident adult. Take this excerpt from Philippians 4:13: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” Through God, we can accomplish anything.

Identify Doubts
The first step is always identifying what the problem is. Your child’s doubts about how well he is doing in science class or if he’ll make the soccer team are brewing. When he says, “I can’t” or “what if,” you should recognize these as red flags. Worrying is human nature, but fear will keep him from accomplishing his goals. Have him replace his negative thoughts with positive ones. Instead of saying, “I can’t play soccer,” he can say, “I will work on playing soccer.”

Support Him
Your child needs positivity around him, so as his role model, you should be displaying sparks of light. When you notice those self-doubt red flags, it’s time to step in. When he looks up to you, he should be seeing someone who is confident in themselves, too. Remind him not to pay attention to anyone who may try to bring him down. As he grows up, he should only surround himself with supportive and caring people that believe in him and bring out the best in him.

Remember Successes
When he’s feeling down, remind him of the good he has already accomplished. The A he got in his other classes or the time he got even just one ball passed the goalie. Take him to the store and let him choose a journal you’ll buy. Have him write a list of all of his successes, no matter how big or small. Then, start writing down the goals. Looking at the past successes will boost his confidence to gain more wins. If he ever starts to feel lost again, just show him his achievement journal!

Keep Trying
Self-doubt is constant; confidence is difficult to maintain. It takes a lot of practice and discipline. Remind him that throughout his life, he will have to be outside of his comfort zone — that’s where growth is. He will fall, then fall again, and again. But the most important thing is that he picks himself up each and every time. That’s where the self-confidence lives.

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