7 Guaranteed Ways to Raise A Confident Daughter
Table of Contents
Raise a strong and self-assured girl with a positive self-image, self-esteem, and belief in her own abilities. These 7 steps will help you raise a strong and confident girl. Confidence prepares children for a lifetime of success. Power to the women! Learn how to empower your daughter and lay a solid foundation for a bright future.
I’m not the most self-assured person, but I’ve gone a long way since dealing with my own internal self-perception as a child.
Because I’m parenting one girl who watches and absorbs everything I do for her, this is something I have to work on on a daily basis.
I’m no expert at confidence, but I’m working on it, and my hope is that the hard work I put in for myself will rub off on my daughter, making it easier for her to accept herself, how she speaks to herself, her abilities, characteristics, attitudes toward others, and even her own appearance with the kindness and love I never had for myself growing up.
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Girls Need A Role Model
My mother only complimented my abilities to be a good dancer as I grew up, but she would make derogatory comments about my physique to me and others, and she would compare my siblings and me in school, relationships, and other major life events.
Yet, as an adult, I can understand how her comments to take me down a notch were a knee-jerk response to her lack of confidence in herself.
Regrettably, I learnt early on that what mattered was how I looked, what I accomplished, and how others saw me. It had nothing to do with how I felt, my abilities, or who I was.
- Was I smart?
- Was I considerate?
- Was I considerate to others?
- Was I resolute?
- Did I put in any effort?
I was all of these things, and this is where the focus should have been in order to grow my confidence and a good self-image, but it wasn’t, and as a 30-something woman with three children, working to alter the mentality I’ve had about myself for far too long isn’t easy.
It’s critical for me to focus on what’s on the inside of my children rather than what’s on the surface, and to offer disproportionate credit to their accomplishments rather than what it needed to reach their objectives.
I don’t want them to have to go through the same struggles I did in regaining confidence and discovering themselves. It took me a long time to achieve the confidence I now have, and I don’t want my daughter to go down the same twisting path I did.
Is there a method to fostering self-assurance? No, however, there are two things that contribute to raising self-assured girls: the childrens personality and the role of parents in instilling self-worth.
How to Raise A Confident Daugher
Model Confidence
Modelling confident behaviour is, without a doubt, easier said than done.
Your daughter looks to you, her Mama, to set an example, so be careful of how you act, speak about yourself, speak to her, and speak about others.
Even if you aren’t aware of it, your children are always watching you. It’s not going to go unnoticed what you say or how you treat yourself. She’ll notice if you make fun of your physique or how tight something fits, criticize your looks or profession, or even utter things like “I can’t.”
When you feel attractive and pleased of your accomplishments, she’ll notice.
You’ll start to notice the things your daughter says and feels about herself after the tables have turned. Take heed. Is it favourable, negative, or neutral?
She’ll be more inclined to feel confident herself if she sees you being confident. Positive affirmations are just as essential for moms as they are for children.
Show Body Positivity
When you talk about who you are, what you do, and how you feel about your body, your daughter will hear everything you say. Girls can read your body language and tell if you’re comfortable in your own skin or not.
It’s difficult not to complain about the things you don’t like about your body to others around you – or even when you believe you’re alone. We live in a society where the pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way, and be a certain way is overwhelming.
Of course, we compare ourselves to what we “believe” we should look and feel like…. but do you want your daughter to experience the same pressure around body positivity?
I may not feel completely at ease in a bikini after my third child, but I will never use the word fat or moan about my thighs or stomach in front of my children or when I’m alone. I also won’t hide behind cover-ups or avoid swimming, which gives the message that I’m not secure in my own skin.
It’s also crucial to discuss food in a positive light, without using phrases like “diet,” “fat,” “calories,” or “shouldn’t eat that.” These buzz phrases all imply the same thing, but when you explain what eating healthy looks like and how to make good and bad food choices for a healthy lifestyle rather than dieting, the topic shifts.
In the presence of children, the phrases “diet,” “thin,” and “fat” should never be used.
The Final Word…
Being at ease in your own skin will help your daughter feel at ease in hers, so fake it until you make it, for them.
Don’t Make Appearances A Huge Deal
Your daughter’s identity isn’t defined by her appearance or the clothes she wears. You don’t want to raise a daughter whose sense of self-worth is based only on her beauty and how she dresses.
Instead, her worth is determined by who she is. Praise your daughter for her compassion, determination, problem-solving skills, effort, and other good traits.
What is it about her that you admire? What are her advantages? Is she a good leader, does she put in a lot of effort in sports, and does she encourage her teammates? What is it that she enjoys and puts out additional effort in?
Daily reminders with positive affirmation cards for kids are one of my favourite ways to develop confidence in my children. I stuff them inside lunch boxes, front pockets of backpacks, and even simply leave them on top of their dresser or folded clothing.
Instead of focusing on how attractive she is or the form of her body, emphasize the good qualities that make her who she is.
Self-Worth Isn’t Measured By Accomplishments
When your child excels in athletics and academics, it’s natural to want to congratulate her on her achievements. It’s more vital to emphasize the effort and mental capacity she used to achieve her accomplishments and reach her objectives.
Hard effort, dedication, and the counter and tenacity to confront obstacles are what lead to victories and successes. Make a point of highlighting the talents and traits that helped her get there since this will go a long way toward improving her self-assurance.
Your daughter isn’t a standout athlete or has a decent grade. She’s a dedicated learner, a hard worker, a dreamer, and an intriguing person.
Confident Women Don’t Compete With Other Women
To pull herself up, a confident woman does not need to talk or tear others down.
This is especially essential today when you’re trying hard to teach your daughter proper manners.
Don’t criticize or gossip about others, particularly about their looks, flaws, differences of opinion, or decisions. To teach your daughter empathy, focus on the positive qualities of people, offer them love, and constantly try to put yourself in their position.
Modelling behaviour that raises people up, rather than tearing them down, and cheering them on encourages your daughter to look for the good in others.
Give praises and speak positively about women because if you speak negatively about them, your daughter is likely to do the same.
When you applaud the triumphs and accomplishments of other women, you will be a fantastic role model.
Encourage Passions
When children discover something they enjoy doing, they acquire confidence organically by encouraging talent. Allow your daughter to explore a variety of sports, school groups, and other activities until she discovers something she enjoys and can spend hours doing.
When children – and adults – are enthusiastic about their job, they work hard to attain their objectives.
Make sure to compliment your daughter on those qualities, not simply her achievements. This is what you should concentrate on if she had to achieve her goals via hard effort, perseverance despite failure, and times of stagnation in order to develop.
Limit Media Exposure
Women are objectified in every form of media, including social media, television, movies, publications, and even literature. They’re too seductive, provocative, weak, and have a slew of other bad connotations, and social media is a hotbed for bullying and pulling people down.
When she is exposed to this sort of behaviour and words, she will experience negative consequences such as comparing herself to others, body shaming, gossiping, and bullying.
Screen movies with caution and consider what messages you give your daughter access to.
What You Should Do Next:
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Enroll now in the most in-depth parenting class. After discovering these common sense, easy-to-implement, research-based tools you can learn how to:- Easily get kids to listen – the FIRST time. No yelling or reminding…not even once!
- Put an end to daily power struggles. Bedtime became a breeze, and all the dawdling, chore wars, sibling rivalry, and mealtime meltdowns disappeared.
- Reduce backtalk by HALF! It’s simple once you know the secrets of these two ‘buckets.’
- Say goodbye to punishments that DON’T work. There’s a 5-step formula that works WAYYY better than time-outs.
- Feel amazing, confident, and empowered as a parent, every day. I NEVER go to bed feeling guilty anymore! (Okay, well maybe sometimes…’ mom guilt’ is still a thing.)
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References
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