What parents can do to help promote healthy and secure self esteem in their children is to ... demonstrate healthy reactions to negative events rather than to over react to the inevitable adversities that we all experience ... .
If parents display that they’re devastated with poor performances, or they tie their self esteem to specific outcomes, their children learn to do so as well ... .
Related to that, I think it’s very important not to over praise children. When children are over praised, they come to expect and need it, and when it’s not forthcoming, their self esteem is likely to suffer.
Michael Kernis, Ph.D.
University of Georgia
Professor of Psychology and Research Fellow, Institute for Behavioral Research
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