As I get into my car with my daughter after school – a school bus full of children passes by. A bunch of children call out my daughter’s name and wave.

My heart fills with pride. I feel happy and satisfied.

Like every other parent in the world – I want my child to be popular and have lots of friends.

Friendships are extremely important in life and no one needs to tell us why.

Every human being wants to belong. Every one of us wants to feel appreciated, needed and loved. And having friends fulfils all these needs.

It can be emotionally devastating for a child to be rejected by his peers and feel left out. It can impact the child’s self-esteem severely, and lead to behavior problems and depression. 

How to make friends and sustain friendships is one of the most important skills a child needs to master in the early years.

 Through friendships children learn social skills like cooperation, sharing and conflict management. Friendships strengthen a child’s sense of belonging. They hone his ability to understand what others are thinking and feeling and this helps him to adjust socially later in life

It is a myth that childhood friendships are automatic and effortless. As parents we need to build social skills and qualities into our children that will help them attract friendships

Here are the 5 things you should teach your child – to ensure that his life is enriched with friendships
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Teach your child how to Smile
Smiling is the first sign that you are open to being friends. As city dwellers we tend to isolate ourselves in our little self-sufficient islands even as we live in close proximity to millions of other people. It becomes a habit to avoid meeting the eyes of the people around you. It becomes a habit to look the other way so that you don’t have to smile. And that is what your children learn from you.

As they watch you - children learn not to smile.

Even if a child is dying to make friends – if he doesn’t smile – he comes across as unfriendly and unapproachable and loses out on opportunities to make friends.

Smile – and encourage your child to smile.

Make it easier for your child to learn how to greet

The first step towards making new friends or penetrating a group of playing children is to walk up and utter a greeting.

If your child is waiting to join a group of playing children he may be able to make eye contact with a child from the group, but unless he can instantly greet the child with a “Hi!” or a “Hello!” to start a conversation - he could miss out on the opportunity to join the group.

It is not easy for children to utter a greeting if they are not used to it. And it becomes even more difficult when they are trying it in testing circumstances where they know that there is a chance their greeting may be rejected or ignored.

To make it easier for your child to greet – throw greetings around freely – when you are at home and when it is not necessary to be formal.

Get up in the morning and say “Good morning”

When you walk into the house shout out a “Hi!”

Yes – social skills need to be practiced repeatedly to emerge automatically and seem effortless.
 
Teach your child to admire and compliment

Handing out a genuine compliment is another easy way to make friends. Everyone likes someone to notice and like things about them and it can be an easy way to start a conversation

To compliment without sounding fake, one needs to be generous and genuine. Both of these qualities are learnt by children from their parents.

Make it habit to hand out compliments when your child can hear you.

Admire that nice sweater on another little one. Include your child in the admiration too. Tell your child –“Look – have you seen what a lovely sweater that little girl is wearing? Let’s walk up to her and tell her” Take your child with you as you walk up to deliver the compliment.

Don’t compare – it teaches children to envy instead of being generous.

Teach your child kindness and consideration

Kindness begets kindness and is a wonderful place to begin a friendship.

Children learn kindness by watching their parents being kind.

Hold the door open for a child you don’t know. Encourage your child to pick something up that an old woman has dropped.
Offer to help a neighbour with her heavy bags up the stairs. Allow someone to move ahead of you in the queue.  

Let your child join in as you perform your little acts of kindness and consideration – allow them to experience the joy that being kind brings. It is a joy that is almost addicting.

Build your child’s self esteem

A child who doesn’t have friends can easily fall into the trap of “Nobody likes me.”

When your child comes back to you crying and dejected - envelope him in your unconditional love. Tell him how wonderful he is because he is polite, friendly, kind and considerate. Encourage him to build on these qualities.

Politeness, kindness and consideration are sure to elicit positive reactions from the recipients and make him feel more likeable
.
Rejections are inevitable in life – but as parents it is most important that we ensure that these rejections do effect our child’s self-esteem.

If you want to be liked by others – you must first like yourself.

Build positive self-esteem make sure your child knows he is likable

Give your child plenty of opportunities to play and interact with children

Just because two children are thrown together – they will not become friends. You cannot force friendships upon your child – even if those friendships are most convenient. You may want to hang out with your friend – but you must accept it if your child does not get along with her child.

 If your child is unable to find friends in a particular group – ensure that you give him other opportunities to socialize. There is no point in insisting that a child make friends with children of your choice.

Enrolling children in non-competitive activities gives them a wonderful opportunity to interact and build friendships around shared interests and must definitely be a priority for parents who have shy or friendless children.

As loving parents we are often unable to see why other children don’t want to be friends with our perfect and wonderful child. This can make us feel hurt and defensive.

To avoid feeling hurt we often try to replace friends with devices or buying them more toys. We try to convince our children that they don’t need to be friends with “those nasty children” and we keep them away from group play to avoid rejection and tears.

Spending more and more time alone however, only ensures that children lose out further on social skills. And this is counterproductive. Children must learn to deal with rejections, anger and conflicts because these are a part of normal social life.
 
Children need friends. And whatever you do you cannot compel other children to be friends with your child
Help your child build the social skills he needs to initiate and sustain friendships 

Connecting with your child should be the easiest thing in the world – but it isn’t.

Children live in the moment. “Here” and “Now” are all that they understand.

And adults almost never live in the here and now.

There is always the future to worry about.

You are expecting that very important email anytime now
There is an EMI that needs to paid next week
An important project is due by the end of the month
And of course the appraisal needs to be great at the end of the year.
If nothing else – there is the worry about what to make for dinner – or the clothes that need to be put into the washing machine to be laundered.

The clock is constantly ticking. Yes – that is life.

Whether it is the beginning of the day or the end – worries like this – make it difficult for parents to connect with their child.

Planning elaborate activities with children is a noble intention. But in the midst of busy workdays – these are almost impossible to accomplish and can be tremendously stressful if tried.

Connecting with children however is vital – even if it is for a short while. Because allowing disconnect to grow can be dangerous. A disconnected child is prone to bullying and abuse. And disconnected children will certainly not grow into connected teenagers.
​
How to connect with your child – here are 4 effortless ways to do it -  

Smile more. Whenever you make eye contact with your child – make it a point to smile.

Smiling should come naturally to us – especially when we are looking at our children – because we love them so much. But it doesn’t. Because we are preoccupied or worried all the time.
We are taught that we smile when we are happy and so when we see nothing to make us happy – we simply don’t smile.
Not too many people know this – but smiling actually makes you happy.
When you smile at your child and they smile back at you – they convey their happiness with their innocent spontaneous smiles – and that makes you so happy – that it leads you into another smile.

Smile a lot. It is a habit – and it is contagious.
 
As soon as you walk into the house – drop whatever precious thing you are carrying and give your child a hug

Children wait for hugs. They want to end the period of separation from you – however long or short – with contact. They need actual bodily contact to reassure themselves that you are back – you are really back – and that they are no longer alone.
Often when we walk into the house we are loaded with “things” that keep us from hugging. Or we are in clothes that are too good for messy hugs. Or we are too preoccupied to give in to hugs.
Remember - whatever it is that you are carrying on your mind, body or hands – is never more precious than a hug from your child.

Be generous with hugs. They are a great way to destress and connect.
 
Sit or lie on the floor – it is a cue for your child to connect

When you are at home – the easiest way to connect is to look relaxed. And the easiest way to look relaxed is – to get down to the level of your child.
Sit or lie on the floor. When was the last time you did that?
Sitting in straight backed chairs or stuffy sofas compels you to keep your distance because of the boundaries of the furniture. When you are on the floor – boundaries are blurred.
Allow your child to sit on your lap or clamber all over you as you lie. There can be no deeper connect.
 
If housework is stressing you out – drop everything and go with your child for a 10 minute walk

Regular parents have a truckload of housework waiting for them when they get back from work and being in the house and looking at the toys that need to picked up – the laundry that needs to be folded and the dinner that needs to be fixed – can be really stressful.
Housework however can wait – your moment of connection with your child can’t.
Pushing housework back by 10 minutes can do absolutely no harm. Ignore the mess, pay no attention to your child’s shabby clothes – just grab your child and head out for a 10 minute walk.

Those 10 minutes can make a world of a difference to your connection with your child
 
Surprise yourself and your child

As adults who have children to bring up “perfectly” – we often become boring. Yes – routines are important, homework must be done, every meal must be nutrient packed – but not all the time.
On an odd day – just relax and let go.
Eat a full meal of mangoes. Snuggle into bed as soon as you are back instead of doing housework and homework. Walk in and immediately pull out a board game and start playing instead of interrogating your child about his constructive utilization of time while you were away.
​
Be spontaneous – it is the easiest way to bond.
 
Life is beautiful. And it is the connections and bonds that make life so beautiful. Schedule time to bond with your child

 ​Life is short. There is too much to do and too little time. If we didn’t plan and schedule everything – where would we be?

And so we have schedules and routines.

Routines are fantastic. They are essential in fact when you are a parent and need to successfully ‘run’ – more than one life.

Routines and schedules for children are always created by parents with the best of intentions. We want our children to grow up healthy and enriched with myriad experiences. And with the limited time that we have available – we know that tight schedules are the only ways to make that happen.

And we are right. Routines do work. And because they work so well, sometimes, without us realizing it, they take over our lives. They comfort us with their predictability and efficiency and very soon, are able to convince us that anything different from what they specify, anything that we are not used to or uncomfortable with – is unacceptable.
​
Being blessed with the task of parenting a child is the amazing opportunity to live life creatively. To do things differently. And to celebrate every moment and have FUN.

Allowing routines and schedules to hijack our lives – robs us of this opportunity – one day at a time.

The pace of our routines can stifle conversation and END COMMUNICATION. It can also make family life BORING and MONOTONOUS.
If you find you are saying one or more of the following things too often to your child – it may be time to review your child’s routine

1.  Are you saying “Come on – come on – quick – quick” all the time?

When you are compelled to rush your child all the time – recognize that you have in your enthusiasm – over scheduled your child. The routine of driving your child from class to class and activity to activity - that you made, has now become the routine that makes you. It is time to slow down.
Shamelessly cancel that fun plan that is no longer looking like fun. Go when it’s actually going to be fun.
Without an iota of guilt pull your child out of that hobby class at a distant location. It may be the best – but it’s not right for your child – right now
Every child is different. Just because all the other kids are doing something - your child doesn't necessarily have to do it right then too. The experiences will be right there when he/she is ready.
 
 
2.   Are you saying “No no no……….we can’t do that now.” All the time?

Parenting a child is an opportunity to live creatively. As parents we often forgo that opportunity because we are in the clutches of our routines.
Routines however should never stand in the way of spontaneity and exciting experiences
Even if it is dinner time – indulge your child and watch the little dance your child has been practising all evening or allow the magic trick your child wants to try on you. It will only take a few minutes to watch and applaud after all.
Indulging your child could mean changing your plan a little – but, give it a thought - if the plan is important only by virtue of being your plan – can there be any harm in changing it a little?
Flexibility is one of the most important parental qualities
 
3.  Are you always correcting your child and saying “No – not like that – do it this way”

As parents we are responsible for teaching our children how to do things the right way – but when we correct children all the time – we could be turning into helicopter parents who are falling into the trap of Hyper parenting.
 Also - as adults who already have so much on our plates – we can’t possibly have things being done any which way all the time. We need to factor in the messes that will need to be cleared when things are done just any way.
But sometimes – just sometimes – children should be given the opportunity to do things a certain way “just because” they want to do it that way.
It is important to do things the right way and to stick to routines but when routines begin to stand frequently in the way of spontaneity and fun – it is time to rethink them.
 
4.  Are you always asking “No – why do you want to do that?

It is important that childhood should be filled with a variety of experiences – and as conscientious parents that is what we strive to ensure for our children.
Can it be wrong then, for some of these experiences to be created by your child’s imagination?
A child’s creativity needs room for expansion. And it should not be necessary for a child to give you ten good reasons why he wants to do something whimsical
 Instead of asking “Why” can we sometimes not ask “Why not?”.
It is important to encourage creativity. Children learn by being creative and imaginative.
If there is no good reason why they shouldn’t be allowed to do it – why not allow children go ahead and have fun? A new idea – tried tested and proved successful can be a tremendous boost to your child’s self-esteem in addition to being a hands on learning experience.
If it is your child’s jam packed schedule that is keeping you from saying “yes” to new ideas – definitely rethink the schedule.
 
In your child’s company – sometimes give yourself the permission to be whimsical, laid back and relaxed.

Don’t rush children into tomorrow. Let them live in the moment. Permit them to keep you there too.  

The summer vacations are here. And if you have a child who hasn’t learnt to swim yet – I am certain you are contemplating enrolling your child in a swimming class.

If you are – your intentions are certainly worthy of applause.

Swimming is a life saving skill, it is fantastic exercise, it strengthens the lungs and gives them more power, it is a fun activity and a great way to get outdoors and make friends.

If you are a lucky parent – you will have a child who loves water; a child who is looking forward to learning how to swim and takes to the water like the proverbial fish. In fifteen days then - you will have a child who is effortlessly swimming lengths of the pool.

But what if you are not that lucky?

What if yours is the one child in a class of twenty who refuses to get into the pool?

What if yours is the one child who is howling before every class?

Should you force your child to swim? Or should you just give up?

The answer to both those questions is NO.

Before you enrol your child for a swimming class – it is very important for you to understand that swimming is NOT about thrashing about with the arms and legs. Your child will learn how to swim when he/she learns how to control and regulate breathing.

A frightened child will find it impossible to learn how to swim because when a child is afraid – the first thing he / she will lose control over is – breath.

A howling child who is forced into water - will have great difficulty learning how to swim.

As a child cries - water will enter the nose and mouth and the child will choke on the water as he / she cries.  The sensation of drowning that this causes – will terrify an already frightened child – ensuring a fear of swimming classes.

If you are the parent of a child who is afraid of the water – here are some things you should do –


Respect your child’s fear 
​Never say – “Oh! There is nothing to be scared of”. A pool full of water that looks inviting and beautiful to you - can look like an ocean to a little child.

Do not rush your child
Being in water is a new sensation that the body needs to get used to. Allow your child to proceed slowly and realize that water is not threatening. There are children who need to first just be splashed with water – then dip their feet in and then slowly over a month – move to putting their heads under water for a few seconds. But given a chance these children eventually – do learn how to swim. Fifteen day deadlines that typical swimming classes set – do not work for children.

Work on building confidence
Never allow your child to be taken to the deep end perforce. And NEVER allow your child to be thrown in at the deep end with the mistaken notion that children learn to swim when they are in deep water. A frightened child will open his/her mouth to gulp in air –and end up gulping water instead. The sensation of drowning that this causes – will terrify your child and destroy his/her confidence. Instead – allow your child as much time as he/she requires in the shallow area of the pool – to gain confidence. Stay away from overzealous arrogant instructors.

Empower your child
Always give your child the choice to proceed to the next step or go back one step as he or she chooses. Never prevent a child from leaving the pool if he/she wants. There are days when children are very tired - days when they find the water too cold or days when they are just not in the mood. Compelling children to undertake a challenge they do not feel they can tackle at that moment - can ruin the confidence they have built so far.

Persist and encourage
As difficult as it may be to believe it – every child wants to learn how to swim. Encouraging your child to persist in his/her effort to learn how to swim – is the one thing that your child needs from you

As you teach your child to swim remember that this is your child’s challenge – do NOT make it yours.

Happy swimming !!

“What do I do about tantrums?” is a question parents often ask at my workshops
​
Yes – tantrums are dreadful. No parent wants to live through one.

Tantrums arise out of a multitude of reasons and how to prevent them is what I teach in my “Workshop on Discipline”

But try as you might – from time to time – you do come face to face with a tantrum.

And when life gives you lemons – I firmly believe - you should make lemonade

And so - if tantrums are inevitable – why not understand them and use them as an opportunity to teach a vital life skill called - THINKING

What is tantrum?

A tantrum is basically a socially unacceptable way of expressing frustration, anxiety and worry.

“Frustrated? Anxious? Worried? Why should children feel like that?” Parents ask incredulously

As much as we want to believe that we give our children the perfect lives where they have no reason to feel frustrated – if you look at the world from the point of view of the child – you would find that there are more than enough reasons for children to feel frustrated anxious and worried.
Just like adults – children are constantly faced with problems. As they go about their daily lives, they encounter unfulfilled needs and/or desires and get into conflicts with those around them.

When children are unable to find solutions to their problems, they feel angry, frustrated, anxious and worried. And when they are able to solve their problems - they feel relieved, happy and proud

If you put yourself in your child’s shoes you would realize that your own behaviour in your day to day life is closely linked with your ability to solve the problems that you face in day to day life.

Imagine yourself faced with the problem of a neighbour who refuses to lower the volume of the music he is playing at bedtime.

Your problem with your neighbour is actually no different from a 4 year old crying for an unobtainable toy. The emotions he experiences are in all probability are exactly the same ones that you have.

If you are unable to get your neighbour to reduce the volume to what you think is an acceptable level you are likely to feel inadequate and helpless. And if this goes on for several days or if there are several other such issues that simultaneously remain unresolved – you would end up feeling frustrated and behave in a socially unacceptable manner.

When a four year old behaves similarly it would be called a tantrum or a meltdown.

What causes the frustration that leads to a tantrum?

The automatic human reaction to a problem that cannot be solved to your satisfaction is - FRUSTRATION.

Frustration causes you to complain and when complaining does not help – it leads to your giving vent to your frustrations in unacceptable behavior. The sequence in a child is - whining – followed by a full blown tantrum.

If we train ourselves to think up a solutions to real life problems – in the heat of the moment – it can keep us from feeling helpless and inadequate and compelled to throw a tantrum.

This holds true for adults – as much as it does for children and can go a long way in reducing lifelong stress

How to use a tantrum to teach ‘THINKING’

STEP 1 – Comfort – Give your child a big hug

Are you thinking…….. “Think??????!!!! When my child is throwing a tantrum – forget the child – even I can’t think”

Well I can’t disagree with you. In the midst of a tantrum – it is difficult to think. Both parent and child need to calm down. And the easiest way to have that happen is to give your child a long, loving hug.
Believe me - it works!

STEP 2 – Enquire calmly

“What happened?” or “What did you do? Sounds threatening to child who is already guilty of doing something he/she knows is unacceptable and can shut down the child’s thinking completely.

A “Why did you do it?” or “Why are you crying?” in a tone that allows an explanation is much better.

Every child usually has a good reason for what he/ she does. And discovering that reason is the key to helping the child to think up a solution. It also gives the child a chance to think about why he/she is doing something. When children don’t have reasons that are good enough – they most often feel so sheepish that they automatically calm down.

STEP 3 - Listen

Very often – we ask questions but make no effort to listen to the answer.

When you ask a question be aware that your child’s view of the problem may differ from your view – but just because it is different it is not less important. If you don’t find out what your child thinks the problem is – you will never be able to help him think up a solution.

If your child thinks that the problem is that he has shared his toy long enough and now simply wants it back, but you think the problem is that he grabs at toys that other children are playing with for no reason – you will both be working towards a different goal and are unlikely to reach a solution.

STEP 4 – Don’t offer solutions

It is tempting to sort out the problem by offering a ready made solution or an instruction – but resist the temptation to do that.

The goal is to help the child think up a solution. And it is also important to allow a problem that a 3 year old has – to have a solution that a 3 year old can think up. These solutions are much simpler, more loving and more effective - than we, with our decades old, complicated brains can dream up

STEP 5 – Provide a model of problem solving.

When you are both clear on what the problem is that you have set out to solve.

Say – “Hmmmm….. Let’s see what we can do here.” Then allow your child to come up with solutions and mull over the consequences of each offered solutions.

With encouragement - children usually come up with just the right solution to their problems in the first or second tries

STEP 6 - Be a good role model

In your day to day life as your child watches you encounter problems – be a model for problem solving by calmly thinking out solutions aloud.

“This traffic jam is taking so long to clear up – let’s see how many songs we can sing before it clears up” – is the way to set a good example of how to deal with a problem where you can’t have what you want.
 
 Not every desire can be fulfilled. Conflicts cannot always be resolved the way you wish. And yet –if you can think and get past the frustration that this causes – you can still be happy.
​
That is the most important lesson we need to teach and in many cases – also learn.

“Is it wrong to have certain expectations from my child?” a parent asked me - at a recent Parenting workshop that I was conducting.

It was a sad question – from a sad parent.

A parent who wanted the best for her child but was confused because she didn’t know how to want – without expecting.

In my practice as a Parenting and Wellness Consultant – I find a lot of parents facing this dilemma. Are you one of them?
If you are as confused and sad as this lady – I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

Parenting is learnt by trial and error. And as they gingerly tread unknown terrain - conscientious parents are constantly on the lookout for parenting mistakes that parents before them have made – so that they don’t repeat them.

Any story about any parenting experience that may have gone wrong for anyone is terrifying and stories about parental EXPECTATION – and how it has destroyed the lives of children – are available in abundance.

No one wants to be ‘that parent’ who destroyed their child’s life because of their expectations

But should you throw expectations - lock stock and barrel – out of the window?

No you should not!

A complete lack of expectation is read by your youngster as

“Why expect anything of you? You probably couldn’t do it anyway”

And such lack of faith wipes out the child’s feeling of value.

It is important for parents to expect the best from their children – because what you expect is what you get. But it is crucial not to be rigid and unforgiving in deciding what that best is.

As a parent - you are the most important person in your child’s life. And because you are so important - your approval is your child’s oxygen line. Children are on a mission to seek your approval. Everything children do – they do for your approval. And as they seek your approval – they come face to face with the force of your expectations whether or not you put them into words.

When you have expectations that are rigid and unforgiving – you are sure to be disappointed by your child. And when your child discovers that he is the source of your unhappiness and disappointment he is shattered – and grows up with low self-esteem.

When a child repeatedly encounters failure – he begins to believe

“I am worthless”

And when there is constant parental pressure to do more or do better – it tells the child –

“You are not good enough”

Children never question their parent’s expectations.

Instead when children fail to meet their parent’s expectations – they begin to feel less valuable.

It is a fine line that parents need to walk therefore and it is vital to subject Parental expectations to this audit to have high expectations but ensure that these expectations are not damaging


Subject every expectation you have from your child – to this 4 point PARENTAL EXPECTATION AUDIT


1.  Why do I have this expectation? Where did it come from?

Many of the expectations that we have are borrowed from the expectations that our parents had from us or are blueprints adopted from our culture. Many of these expectations are outdated or highly questionable. But we usually do not question them

Girls should play with dolls but boys never should
 OR
 All boys should be good athletes
OR
Boys shouldn’t cry

– are examples of such expectations

Remember to question the origin of each expectation

2. Does my expectation realistically fit my child at his age and with his temperament and background?

A close examination of our expectations is likely to reveal that many of the expectations that we have do not match the stages of development that our children are in.

A lot of times we expect children to behave like miniature adults which is extremely unfair to the child.

Also - behaviour – it is important to remember - is caused by external factors and it is important to look at those external factors and make allowances in what to expect. Stressors like fatigue, hunger and fear - that affect a child severely are often disregarded completely by well-meaning parents.

Base your expectations on keen observation and a sympathetic consideration of your child’s past and present pressures and you will be unlikely to go wrong.

3. What’s in it for me? Does my expectation fulfil my needs or my child’s?

Expectations must always be looked at and examined with a microscope. Many of our expectations for our children are designed to meet our own unmet wishes.

It is easy to camouflage a need in yourself as a need in your child and build an expectation around fulfilling that need. This is how the expectations that are most damaging to children are generated.

When we push children to get all A’s, win the lead in the play or get elected to office we do so because we want to bask in the reflected glory. We compel our children to harvest distinctions to feed our needs.

We may do so because we crave a certain status but realize that we cannot earn it through our own efforts – so we unconsciously push our child to fill the gap. Or we see our children as extensions of ourselves instead of separate individuals and fear that the lustre of our own star could be dulled if they are any less than outstanding.

Steer clear of unconscious camouflage. Live your own life. Let your child live his or hers.

4. What purpose does my expectation serve?

As soon as we hold our newborn babies in our arms – we put together a mental blueprint of what that baby will be like as an adult. In the majority of cases – this blueprint is made randomly – and does not fit the uniqueness of the child.

When we fail to examine and edit this blueprint frequently – we force expectations that are contrary to the nature of our child upon him/her. Our expectations in such cases have the sole purpose of getting the child to fit our mental blueprint of the image we have for him/her in our minds (however unreasonable that may be).

It is important to frequently question the image we create in our mind’s eye.

“Fit my blueprint or go unloved” is the terrifying message we convey when we are unable to let go of images that do not fit the uniqueness of our child. And nothing can be scarier than that for a child.

Expecting a studious quiet child to be boisterous and the life of every party is the example of such an expectation.

 
Children need to succeed to feel competent and worthwhile. And it is important for parents - to frequently tailor their expectations to ensure that their children succeed so that they build on their self-esteem. Failure is inevitable in life. But in the warm glow of positive self-esteem – failure is seen – not as proof of personal inadequacy – but as an area for growth
Tailor your expectations to build your child’s self- esteem.

​A child with positive self-esteem will exceed all your expectations.