Dave Laxton - Living Life to the Fullest

“If I had more self-esteem when I was younger,” she said, “I wouldn’t have been caught up with such a rotten man.” — Kimberly Bell, Barry Bond’s former mistress

Having raised five of my own kids, five step-children and having over twenty foster children in my home at one time or another, I absolutely agree that self-esteem is the most important attribute to help a child have.

With self-esteem, saying “no” is easy. With self-esteem, there is no test-anxiety. With self-esteem, a child doens’t need a boyfriend or a girlfriend to feel good about themselves.

With self-esteem, a child grows up knowing they don’t have to do what someone else tells them then have to do. That child grows up knowing that who s/he is, what s/he wants to be and what she thinks is OK! And that child will not be controlled by another human.

Feeling that you need valadtion from someone else in order to be important or to feel good will cause you to do whatever it takes to get that other person to “like” you. OH OH. Now you are living your life the way someone else wants you to live. And you will never be happy living that way.

But, if you lack self-esteem, you’ll never be happy with yourself anyway. That is why I feel strongly that helping kids feel good about themselves is the #1 priority of raising a child.

Now, out of curiosity, how does the way kids are treated in youth sports positively or negatively impact their self-esteem? The comment aisle is now open.

Filed under: Kids, Self-esteem, self-confidence on July 22nd, 2007