Beware! There is a thief near you! And that thief is not after your money or your VCR. This thief is after something far more valuable.
The thief is after the Self-Esteem of your most precious possession...your child.
My friends, we live in a largely negative world. And, unless you are vigilant, that negativity will drain the Self-Esteem from your son or daughter.
Protecting the Self-Esteem of your child is an ongoing, never-ending task. The responsibility falls to you. If you don’t undertake this urgent responsibility, who will?
The “Denny Strecker’s Karate” teachers use a 10 step approach to developing and protecting Self-Esteem. You can use these strategies, too!
1. Always remind your child of their past victories and accomplishments. Let their self-image be built upon a recollection of past successes. Let the memory of failures and disappointments fade away.
2. Help your child strive for improvement....not perfection. Help them to create reasonable expectations for performance.
3. Develop a family heritage. Teach your child to be proud of your family. Tell them about the achievements and sacrifices of their parents, grandparents, and other relatives.
4. Do provide feedback; don’t be overly critical. If you do have to give negative feedback, especially to an older child, always criticize privately; on the other hand, always praise publicly!
5. Teach him the value of telling the truth. Lying steals Self-Esteem!
6. Appearance counts! Guide your child into taking pride in their appearance.
7. Try to guide her toward friends who have high Self-Esteem. Help her to avoid negative people.
8. Paint the big picture with your child. Help her to dream big dreams about her future!
9. Be healthy! Exercise regularly; eat a balanced diet.
10. Become an expert! Pick a couple of activities that are important to your child and help him to MASTER them! Don’t allow them to flit from activity to activity.
If you have questions about Self-Esteem issues, give me a call; I’d be happy to help!
Your Friend,
Denny Strecker
Denny Strecker has been teaching parents how improve their children's confidence for the past 10 years. He teaches the "Life Skills" that society expects from our children, but that no one teaches. For more information, please visit www.DennyStrecker.com