Do you know this?

There are approximately 18000 parents registered with CARA, while the number of children in the Government's adoption pool is less 1800.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

4 ways to build your child's confidence

12 year old Satyam Kumar of Bihar, India made news yesterday for something so difficult to make.  He cracked an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) entrance exam in 2012 and got a rank of 8K plus.  
Look at this news in perspective.  Approximately little more than 400,000 people have written this exam in 2012 and some prepare for years to appear and most never make it.  It probably is the most difficult exam the world offers.  Most who complete their studies goes on to become very successful in the field of their choice.     

Cracking the IIT exam is only part of the story but the best is his decision not to join IIT this year but want to appear for the exam again next year simply to get a better rank.  Talk about the confidence.  So what makes kids confident?  There may be more but I shall list four.

Being an example:  Children learn everything and anything from what they see and hear from others (especially adults).  When they see parents handling life's issues confidently, they learn to become confident.  If you're only good at talking about confidence and not in deeds, your child will recognize the inconsistency in you very soon.    

Allowing to make mistakes:  Helping children to understand that it is ok to make mistakes gives them the courage to venture out trying something that they never tried before.  Protective parents, in all their good intentions do not allow the child to develop much needed confidence.  

Allowing to have choices:  By making "My way or no way" kind of rules makes the child restricted.  Guide them to make the right choices but don't make decisions as far as possible.  There cannot be choices in every aspect of life for example, teen sex is non-negotiable but allow them to understand the consequences for their actions. 

Celebrate acts of confidence:  However small may be your child's acts of confidence, celebrate it.  Let the child know how proud you're, share with your friends and families, and buy a small gift recognizing it.

What confident act of your child can you share with the world today?              

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