As mothers, for some reason we seem to constantly be doubting ourselves when we really shouldn’t be, but it’s just what every good mother does.
When it comes to raising children, there are no instruction manuals(if only, right?) – and if we have daughters, then it seems like a million times harder. Daughters are truly amazing, but as they approach a certain age (aka, the dreaded teens), then we really start to worry constantly about them.
We know that girls are somewhat more complicated than boys, because we were one of them, and we want to protect them as much as possible without controlling them, and guide them without it seeming like we’re preaching, because let’s be honest, we didn’t listen to our mothers at that age either.
It really doesn’t matter if the reason you’re worried about your daughter not having confidence in herself is because of bullying, or even something like Family Solicitors being involved at a young age, you have a lot more control over determining your daughter’s level of confidence when she’s older than you think – and that’s a good thing.
Of course, there’s only so much influence you can have, so try not to worry about it too much, because there are so many things that will occur throughout her life that will impact her confidence, and unfortunately in some of those times, all you can really do is be there for her to show her she’s not alone.
In this post, we want to share some useful tips for helping you to raise a confident daughter.
Tell her she’s capable:
Nowadays when the focus is on how people look, and so many supposed role models to look up to, it’s challenging for young women to not compare themselves to what they see on TV and think that everything is based on their looks, but they need to know it’s about more than that. There’s certainly nothing wrong with looking good, but letting your daughter know that she’s more valuable and stands for more than her appearance or what she wears is so important to building confidence.
Provide security:
Often as mothers we find it difficult to take a step back from involving ourselves in the lives of our children, but really that’s what we need to do sometimes. It doesn’t mean no involvement, but simply letting them know we’re there for them should they need us. If we give them the freedom they need (within reason), they’ll feel more secure in coming to us if and when they need us.
Let her know you trust her:
The first reaction for most children, especially girls when you don’t allow them to do something is to think you don’t trust them, and this can really affect their confidence from a young age, because it causes them to believe you think they’re stupid or incapable, when that’s not the case at all – it’s just that you’ve been around long enough to know how the world works sometimes, and your instinct to protect your baby comes first. Having an open and honest discussion with your daughter to let her know this will show her that, not only do you genuinely want the best for her, but that it’s not her you don’t trust.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.