When it comes to raising a teen, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every teen and young adult is unique and has individual needs. One of the most important things you can do as a parent of a teen is to help them cultivate healthy self-esteem. Self-esteem and self-confidence are invaluable tools that teens will use throughout their lives, so it’s important to support your child in developing these skills as early as possible. 

What Is Self-Esteem? 

Self-esteem is an internal sense of confidence, worthiness, and value. It’s important to understand that self-esteem isn’t something you can give someone else—it must come from within. However, parents can create an environment conducive to developing positive self-esteem by providing emotional security and modeling healthy behavior. 

Tips for Helping Your Teen Build Self-Esteem                                              

Provide emotional security – As mentioned above, creating an emotionally secure home environment is essential for helping teens develop strong self-esteem. This means being available to talk about difficult topics, expressing unconditional love and acceptance, and avoiding criticism or judgment whenever possible. When you create an environment of trust, your teen will be more likely to come to you when they are feeling down or anxious.                                     

Be aware of negative influences – Teens are particularly vulnerable to negative influences like bullying or peer pressure, which can have a major impact on their sense of worthiness or value. Encourage your teenage children to surround themselves with positive influences who will help lift them up, rather than tear them down. By staying engaged with your teen’s social life, you can help keep an eye out for some of these negative influences. 

Model healthy behavior – Teens learn more through observation than they do through verbal instruction, so be sure you’re modeling the behavior you want your child to emulate when it comes to building self-esteem. Show them what it looks like to accept compliments graciously and treat yourself kindly by taking care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. Doing this will help your teen believe they too deserve love, acceptance, and respect. 

Offer genuine praise – While it’s important not to be overbearing with compliments or praise, offering honest encouragement when your teen does something well can go a long way toward helping them build a strong sense of self-worth over time. Pointing out their positive qualities and accomplishments does more than just boost their self-esteem, it also encourages them to foster those qualities in themselves. 

Encourage personal growth – One of the best ways for teens to build their self-esteem is by challenging themselves with new experiences that provide opportunities to grow personally, while also learning valuable life lessons. This could include starting new hobbies, volunteering in their community, or trying out for sports teams or school clubs. 

Building strong self-esteem takes time, but as a parent, you can play an integral role in nurturing this skill in your teen over time. By using some of the tips above, you can help foster an environment that supports your teen’s development of healthy self-esteem now —and into adulthood! 

Get Started at Dayrise Wellness 

At Dayrise Wellness, we know just how important it is to help your teen develop strong self-esteem and confidence. We provide therapy services aimed at helping teens develop greater insight into themselves, empowering them to manage their own mental health journey. If you believe your teen would benefit from therapy services, please visit our website for more information about how we can assist!