Children
A Child With Low Self Esteem
By Jillian Gallo
Oct 1, 2006, 15:13

Low self esteem can develop at any time of our lives. One of the most difficult places to find it is in your child. The child you have sworn to love and cherish and protect. We cannot control every aspect of our childrens lives, but when we begin to recognize a problem, such as low self esteem, we can immediatly work to correct it. Children don't even know what self esteem is. They only know it feels good or it feels bad.

Children tend to blame themselves for things that they have no control over. Your child needs to know everything is not his fault. Your child needs to realize we love them just as they are. They are not perfect, and cannot be, they can only try like the rest of us. And that is okay! You want them just the way they are. They have the ability to do marvelous things if they only put their mind to it.

Is it important to help a child with low self esteem? Yes, it is. You want to stop the process of your child emotionally beating himself up. You do not want this problem to follow him into adulthood, when it can be halted right now. This is a problem that will be much easier to overcome now, rather than later. The less time low self esteem has a grip on your child the better.

There are also different signs that can identify a child with low self esteem.

1) Is Your Child an Overachiever?

Some parents may not find this a problem, but in truth, it can be. A child with low self esteem can become an over achiever because he or she feels inadequate as a person. They may want to keep getting high grades because they feel that their parents will not love them without their high grades.

They may be the best at their schools and that is wonderful, but not if it causes them unhappiness or they do it because they think they will not be loved if they don't do it. Not every overachiever has low self esteem, just know this can be a symptom of the problem.


2) Does Your Child Have Addictions?

These are usually signs in older children, but some kids to begin to use drugs, cigarette smoking and alcohol at a very young age. Children with low self esteem will use any method to make themselves feel better or to turn off the guilt they feel. Unfortuantly the things they turn to cause more guilt and they are now caught in a vicious cycle. Never think your child is too young to have some addiction problem. If you think you see signs get them professional help right away.

Why do children with low self esteem turn to addictive type behavior?

They want to escape.

It helps them forget their problems.

They can live in a fantasy world where they are bigger
than life.

They can avoid facing the truth of the situation.

Sometimes it makes them feel older and more in control
adults drink, why shouldn't I?

It makes them think they look cool.

It makes them feel closer, more bonded, to the kids they hang out with.

We can all look back and remember how tough peer pressure can be, and parental pressure too! In today's world, think about it....Would you be able to handle being a kid? It is really tough out there. The pressure is on! If you see any signs of low self esteem in your child, get them help. Talk to someone who can help direct you with the proper path to take.

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