This week we have been discussing having respect for ourselves. This idea of self respect is one that has many aspects, from the physical (exercise, sleep, good nutrition) to showing others that we respect ourselves by standing up to them when needed and not giving up on our personal goals.
Recently I did a seminar about bullying to a group of 6th – 8th graders and we talked about the idea of self talk, those words we say to ourselves in good times and bad. Unfortunately many times we hear the words of others tell us we can’t do something or that is not possible, or your not good enough.
It is funny how we can find ourselves repeating them back to ourselves in words like, “your not good enough”, “or just quit, you can’t do this”. If we had a “friend” who constantly told us we were not good enough we would likely not keep that person as a close companion, yet we may be saying those same words to ourselves over and over again.
We can break out of this habit with better ‘self-talk’. It is our responsibility as a parent to teach our kids how to use positive self talk and to speak to them in a way that helps them build ‘self respect’. More on that in our next post.