Confidence is a virtue that every parent wants to see in their child. Confidence in themselves with what they can do and a willingness to try things that they are not good at yet, knowing they can learn or figure it out.
As with any virtue, it might also be overdeveloped so that it shows negatively. When your child is over-confident, it may sound or look like bragging. The level of confidence we want to help our kids develop is balanced, recognizing what good inside of themselves and the value of others around them is. They learn to believe in themselves and others.
A great deal of our confidence begins with our physiology. Any person can put themselves in a certain stature simply by standing up straight and tall, eyes on the eyes of the other person, chin up, head held high and with a strong, clear voice. This is a practice you can have with your child, not by shaming them with words of discouragement, rather with role playing and using a question like, “What would confidence look like or sound like?” You can demonstrate it and then go back and forth so that it becomes more natural for even a more modest child to have the look of confidence.
Who can show me the look of confidence?