A self-confident teen is one who can say no to smoking, drugs and alcohol with ease, has the clarity to see and work on their personal goals and who will grow up to be a well-balance adult. Low confidence can lead teens to make bad decisions that can affect the rest of their lives.

Why Self-Confidence is Vital for Teens

Self-confidence is the belief in your own ability to be successful in your endeavors. Your teenager’s self-confidence is linked to her self-esteem, which is how good she feels about herself, and how she feels she is a worthwhile person. Just because your teen has a high self-esteem, doesn’t necessarily mean she is confident. Her level of self-confidence can vary throughout her life, particularly during the major life changes and challenges of adolescence. Many teens struggle with low confidence during early adolescence. Self-confidence is vital for teens because it makes them feel secure, make informed decisions and avoid situations that are not right for them. Here are some tips for you, as a parent, to instill a strong sense of self-worth in your child.

• Offer opportunities: Give your teen the opportunity to try different things such as traveling, learning to play an instrument, and different sports and hobbies. This will help her realize what she enjoys doing and what she’s good at.
• Color-in confidence: Relaxing mandala coloring books, such as Coloring Book for Me & Mandala can help improve confidence and self-worth in your teen.
• Positive praise: Praise your teens for her actions and accomplishments. If a game or a test doesn’t work out quite as she’d hoped, praise her efforts.
• Be a role model: There are many ways you can instill confidence in your teen by being a role model. For example, you could discuss with her what you are going to do to try and succeed at a particular task. If you are unsuccessful, you can be the model of resilience by talking about how you can make it work next time.
• Be patient: Neurological research shows that the reason your teen sometimes may appear fickle or impulsive is because sometimes they have difficulty thinking rationally, because the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making part are still under development, so be patient with them when they make mistakes.
• Instill persistence: When your teenager makes mistakes, and she will, show her ways she can learn from them. Explain that often things don’t work out at the first attempt, and offer suggestions on how she can find ways to keep trying.
• Ask for their opinion: Often, teenagers have a lot to contribute and can offer insightful suggestions. Let your teen join in family discussions and plans and listen to her opinion without being judgmental. You’ll find she really appreciates being asked to join in.

As a parent, you can give your teen a safe environment to live in and lots of good opportunities for grown and development. This will help her become a confident and successful individual.