PTA Parent, Wednesday, August 19, 2009 |
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Family Key to Building Child's Self-Esteem Be confident: Children model parents' behavior Helping a child build self-esteem is a crucial and often difficult task for parents. One easy tip for parents to remember is that they are the models for their child's self-esteem, according to Suzy Yehl Marta, founder of Rainbows (http://www.rainbows.org/) in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The effects of a parent lacking self-esteem trickle down to his or her children, she says. Read on for more ways Marta says can help parents strengthen their children's self-esteem. Family serves as the foundation for self-esteem. Having a healthy, functioning family does more to build a child's self-esteem than anything, according to Marta, president of Rainbows, which helps kids heal emotionally after suffering a loss. It does not matter if the family is of the single-parent variety or the traditional nuclear family. "It just needs to be a healthy place for children to thrive in," she says. Other tips from Marta: Positive Talk – Don't put yourself down. Don't say negative things about your spouse, especially in a separation or divorce situation. That goes right to the heart of a child, "The message to the child is if dad is bad or not dependable then I must be too because I'm half mom and half dad," contends Marta. Don't be a Parachute Parent – You can't always "parachute" in to solve your child's problems. Empower your child to take care of his or her own business when appropriate. Be available but also teach them how to handle challenges on their own. Disappointment is OK – There is a whole generation of parents who don't ever want their children to feel bad. You see this in things like sports leagues where every kid gets a trophy. This treatment and over-protection makes for unrealistic expectations from life. "Our sole job is to prepare (children) for adulthood. And as adults, you don't always get a prize," she says. Sincere Praise – Tell them when they do well and when they do poorly tell them so in a loving way. False praise leads to more unrealistic expectations. Monitor Media – Negative messages on television, in movies, across the Internet and beyond erode a child's self-esteem. Monitor what they are viewing and talk with them about it. Review PTA's tip sheets on monitoring media Say No – The word "no" is a love word.. Children must learn they cannot have everything they want. This teaches them to be more discerning. Express Love – Tell children daily that you love them. Parents would be surprised how often this does not happen...and how powerful it is when it does. [box} Tips for Building Your Child's Vocabulary Conversations and questions are two vital tools All parents want their child to do well in school. One way to assist your child is to help them build their vocabulary. Beginning readers use knowledge about words to help them make sense of what they're reading. Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Read four simple tips for introducing new words to your child. Two easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk: Conversations and questions about interesting words (Example: "The book says, ‘The boy tumbled down the hill,' Look at the picture! How do you think he went down the hill?"). Sharing a new word with your child doesn't have to take a long time: just a few minutes to talk about the word and then focus back on the book or conversation. Choose which words to talk about carefully – choosing every new word might make reading seem like a chore. The best words to explore with your child are ones that are common among adult speakers but are less common to see in the books your child might read. When introducing new words to your young learner, keep the following four helpful hints in mind:
Take the time to share new words and build your child's vocabulary. You'll be "enormously" glad you did! For more resources on vocabulary, visit: ReadingRockets.org/atoz/vocabulary PTA Briefs
Q: In what ways could you, your school, and your PTA improve communication? A: Good communication between parents and the schools their children attend is one of the most important ways to ensure children get the academic and social education they need to succeed. We all know, however, that communication can sometimes break down. How would you like to see communications improve at your school and with your PTA? If your response is selected for publication in the October-November 2009 issue of Our Children magazine, "Communicating with Your School," PTA will send you a $25 gift card. Deadline for submission: Friday, August 28, 2009. When submitting your response to forum@pta.org, please include
By sending an e-mail, you'll be granting PTA the right to publish your response, which may be edited for grammar, length, and/or clarity. Member Benefits Provider Message Quality Insurance + Special Group Rates = Peace of Mind 
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