"Psychologists Say Low Self-Esteem Can Be Good For Kids"

Posted by Patty Garza on March 3rd, 2013

This is a syndicated post from Politics to Parenting and Everything in Between. [Read the original article...]

How do you feel about this new finding? I think we need to let kids be kids, teach them life is hard and things don’t always go our way. We aren’t always going to win and we aren’t always going to lose, but we should always try and do our best. This is what we try to instill in our sons. Hopefully by the time they are older and on their own they will realize we were right and the things you want and the things you need differ. We also try to tell remind them, as the old Rolling Stone song goes...’you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes…you get what you need!’

I believe teaching our kids to live by this motto is one way to help keep them balanced and keep them from developing a sense of entitlement. Hopefully they will also learn that if you work hard, you can get what you need. I think the biggest thing is teaching kids the difference between needs and wants and prioritizing those things. Like my sons will tell me they really want something…and I will say I really want a million dollars, but I can’t have it. Parents need to keep kids balanced by setting boundaries and saying “no” sometimes, even when it can be hard to listen to them whine and complain.

Remie Geoffroi

Praising Success

THE SITUATION: Your child is getting straight As inavery advanced math class.
DO: Say, ‘I love seeing how hard you are working in this class. Life is going to bring some tough challenges, and putting in that kind of effort is going to help you.’
DON’T: Say, ‘Look at your grades—all As! You’re so smart you’re off the charts.’ (Lets child’s self-esteem get out of line with reality, setting her up for a shock later.)

Fox Nation: “Psychologists Say Low Self-Esteem Can Be Good For Kids

(Wall Street Journal)

A wave of recent research has pointed to the risks of overpraising a child. But for parents, drawing the line between too little praise and too much has become a high-pressure balancing act.

Cara Greene, a mother of three children ages 1 to 8, is wary of deliberately pumping up her kids’ egos, for fear of instilling the sense of entitlement she sees in young adults “who have been told they’re wonderful and they can do anything.” But she also wants them to have healthy self-esteem.