Help Your Pre-teen’s Self-Esteem By Helping Them Journal—

Self-esteem is interesting in that it is composed of so many different things. Moreover, self-esteem is not something tangible that a parent can just give their child. Instead, self-esteem is something that is grown and developed within the person and must be worked at, especially in the pre-teen years. The development of self-esteem also begins with the examples parents demonstrate in their own lives and how they treat their children. That is if a parent has a good self-esteem and treats their children good then they are likely to develop a healthy self-esteem themselves.

Parental Acceptance Is Key To Helping Your Pre-Teen Develop A Healthy Self-Esteem

Parental acceptance of a child is the most important thing any parent can do to help their children develop a healthy self-esteem. Parents must recognize their child for the special person they are. When parents accept their child they learn to accept him- or herself, which is the foundation that self-esteem is built upon. Parents can encourage their pre-teen to write in their journals about what they think their parents think about them. This journaling practice will help the pre-teen to identify qualities in themselves that others see in them.

However, accepting a child is also about the parent being realistic and honest with their child regarding the child’s hopes and dreams. When a parent is honest and realistic with their pre-teen it helps cultivate a strong sense of respect in the child for their parent’s judgment and advice. This respect can be further promoted by encouraging your pre-teen to write about how they view your judgments.

Some parents may cringe at the idea of encouraging their pre-teen to write about how they see their parent’s thoughts and opinions, but this can actually prove more beneficial than anything else. When a pre-teen writes in their journal about what they see in their parents, she can process that perception more effectively than if she were to just talk about it. When a child can break down her perceptions she can often get a clearer understanding of who she is and this can bolster her sense of self-esteem.

Encourage Your Pre-Teen To Write About Their Strengths & Abilities

Although pre-teens should choose for themselves in many areas of their lives, it is wise for parents to encourage their pre-teen to focus on her unique strengths and abilities. One good way to do this is to encourage your pre-teen to write, as thoroughly as possible, what abilities and strengths they see in themselves in their journal. When we recognize good qualities in ourselves we can take some pride in who we are and this will only help our self-esteem grow stronger.

Some pre-teens may experience times where they lack self-confidence or experience low self esteem. Often this is the result of the pre-teen not being able to see their strengths and abilities clearly. When a pre-teen is unable to see their qualities it is highly probably that they will see themselves as not valuable. Parents who encourage their pre-teen to use a journal to help identify their assets are helping their children develop a greater sense of confidence in themselves which will translate into the child having higher self-esteem.