Action

"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you." Thomas Jefferson

One of the very important jobs a parent has is to nurture a child's self-esteem. This starts with bonding with the infant and meeting their needs quickly. As they are toddlers and you must begin to set limits, you teach them that while they may do things wrong, they are good people. They must know that you love them unconditionally, but that does not mean they can do whatever they please. As they grow, they are taught to do the right thing, given age-appropriate responsibilities, and your expectations need to be reasonable but firm. Your praise must be generous but honest. One of the things that makes them feel good about themselves is not Mom and Dad constantly saying "Good job!" It's the fact that they are doing what is good, what is right, giving it their best and they are succeeding.

Sometimes adults think they could do this, that or the other thing if only they felt better about themselves. Low self-esteem is a very real condition, and if you started out in life with a deficit, I can totally relate to that. Been there. But instead of waiting to magically feel better about who you are, why not start to do what you know is right and good? Act! You will be surprised at how the very act of doing will boost your self-esteem. At some point, we need to figure out who we want to be and start becoming that person.

Susan