The Silvermans

The Silvermans
Mommy Tips

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Mommy tip: Help build your child's self-confidence

A few years ago I was attending a classical choral concert with Barb.  My husband was the conductor and her husband was a singer.  Barb is a Beautiful Grandmother who has been teaching a Mom's class for over 30 years, a dear mentor to me.  Both our husbands are doctors, hers a Pediatrician, mine holds a Doctorate in Classical Choral Conducting.
This was a special time in which Barb chose to teach me the importance of building my children's self-confidence.

~Self-confidence~

The foundation of all
great success and
achievement.
(Inspirationboost.com)

We were watching our husbands use their gifts, talents, and passions.  Barb suggested "find out what your children have a passion for and feed it.  If they are able to do something well their confidence grows.  Then, if they are struggling in some other area it doesn't destroy their self-confidence because they know they are good at something that really matters to them."   
  
I've heard John Maxwell explain that we tend to focus on our weaknesses rather than our strengths, but it should be the other way around.  For example if my singing is a 4 out of 10, if I work my best at it I could get better but probably not get above a 6 or 7.  However, if I am a dancer and I have a 7 out of 10, if I worked my best at it I could probably get to a 9 or 10.


"Everybody is a genius.  
But if you judge
 a fish 
by its ability
 to climb a tree,
 it will live
 its whole life
 believing
 that it
 is stupid."
 Albert Einstein

Music, dance, and the arts are very much a part of our family.  So we naturally began surrounding our kids with music.  This is a picture of my son at the piano when he was about 2 years old, looking as cute as can be. 
However, his passion at this point in time is baseball, not the piano.  We are originally from Philly but lived in Arizona for 3 years and during that whole time he wore "Phillies" baseball team shirts and hats consistently.  We are back on the East Coast of the US.  He had a game a few nights ago and played amazingly!
Of course this does not mean we neglect areas that need help.  Absolutely not.  However to specifically build self-confidence, feed into their passions and natural talents.  Confidence comes from the Latin to "have full trust" or to "have full faith."  Increase your child's faith and trust in their ability to succeed.  Dr. Caroline Leaf, a specialist in brain research, writes:

Your passion
releases
your genius.

James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father."  We have all been given unique gifts, let's help our kids discover and develop them.
Keep up the good work Beautiful Mothers!!!
Love,
Rosa