Success in life depends to a large extent on a person's self image. When an individual has a belief in self, he acknowledges he is a valuable human being with an important life. This type of person is likely to succeed in his career and in his personal life. A negative self image, however, can cause a person to lack self respect and to doubt his worth. This kind of individual is more likely to struggle in maintaining employment and attracting friends. Self esteem is, therefore, essential to a productive life. The development of self image, either positive or negative, begins in childhood.
Strengths and Talents
The building of self esteem in children occurs with the recognition of individual strengths and talents. Children learn they are good at certain things and thus take pride in their abilities. When a child discovers she is talented in a sport, an art or an academic subject, it serves to build confidence. Kids see themselves as valuable based on their accomplishments.
Acceptance of Limitations
While children build up their self image through their accomplishments and displays of talent, they also need to learn to accept their limitations. This is obviously more difficult. Children need to realize that not being the best at everything does not mean they are not as important as others. A child also needs to work through struggles in order to achieve self confidence. For example, if he has difficulty in working a particular type of mathematics problem but is able to learn to solve the equations with extra work and time, he will achieve a boost in self image. He may still not be a math scholar, but he has worked to the best of his ability.
Parent Influence
Parents are the most important factor in the building of self esteem in young children. Kids need the approval and praise from their mothers and fathers in order to foster self belief. Parents who are overly critical, consistently pessimistic in tone or neglectful in providing feedback to their children put their offspring at risk for developing a highly negative self image. A poor self image in childhood can translate to severe problems with self confidence in adulthood.
Body Image
A positive body image is important to a child's self esteem. Children who are comfortable with the way their bodies look and perform are more likely to be confident and self assured. Body image can be a sensitive issue for children, especially as a child enters puberty. Parents need to prepare children for the coming changes in their appearance and body functions. Children who know what to expect in terms of adolescence are more likely to accept their "new" bodies and feel secure. If a child is unprepared for the changes, he may be uncomfortable with the alterations puberty has made. Such children may be self conscious and hold themselves in low regard.
Respect
Respect is necessary for the development of a positive self image in children. Respect is defined as the showing of regard for self or others. If a child is shown respect by parents and peers, she is most likely going to respect herself and become self confident. These children are also likely to show respect for others and help boost the self esteem of these individuals as well.
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