Perhaps one of the most important duties of a parent is to make sure that their children are able to handle life. Everyone learns to become an adult in their own way, and the path is rarely smooth, but the truth is that much of what our parents teach us and our home environment can have lasting effects up until our later years.

While teaching your children to be disciplined, to listen, to be socially capable and to be interested in the world around them is crucial, what tops and feed into all of this is the ability to know their own worth. It’s this that can help them build their own sense of dignity and appreciation for themselves as part of the world, and to trust their own voice.

It might seem like having them repeat affirmations about how worthwhile they are is the way forward, and sometimes even this could help, you teach them this in a thousand different ways daily, and so it’s a good idea to look at what those necessities might involve. With that in mind, let’s consider the following:

Teach Them Essential Self-Care

Teach your children the value of self-care. This can be as simple as brushing their teeth and regularly taking them to your local dentist, as it can be feeling confident enough to telling an adult about a problem encountered at school. Self-care means keeping their bedrooms tidy, and dressing in clothes that are clean and have been ironed, and learning to stay away from disrespectful people. This way, they can be strong while also keeping themselves in the proper regard – and learn that self-care is a daily commitment.

Teach Them To Trust Their Judgement

Children often defer to us for a lot of things, and it’s no wonder why that is. Being a brand new human is hard and confusing. But it can also be helpful to slowly allow our children to nurture the normality of trusting their own judgment, and not feeling afraid to do so. Perhaps this could involve learning to tidy their possessions, to make their friends, and to discuss with you when they feel their teacher isn’t being fair. Showing them that giving up at the first sign of tough homework helps nothing, and that hard work is rewarded can often work wonders this way, too.

Teach Them Respect, But Also To Question Authority

It’s important for children to know the value of respect so they can know when to employ it, and when to expect it from others. But it’s also important that they know while respecting their elders and authority figures is crucial, it shouldn’t be given just because someone might be in that position. Sometimes, it might be instructive for them to report an adult to another, or to be strong enough to assert themselves against an unfair boss during their first job. A healthy balance, if you can strike it, should give them the chance to do well in both areas.

With this advice, you’re certain to teach your children both how to be confident, and to know their worth.