Building Confidence at Circus School

I think it was related to a sense of personal achievement. In other words, she saw what she wanted to do, worked at doing it, and knew when she had done it. She was testing herself, in small increments, and took pleasure in the work and in the accomplishment. Sure enough, I noticed her give a little smile and decisive nod to herself every time she felt she had done something to her satisfaction. That's so cool.

Now my homework is to find other ways to let her test herself at home. Our days are full of half-successes and already-cans. How can I help her to set achievable goals for herself that can at the same time dazzle in their brilliance? How do I tap into her own standards of measurement to support her in this process of self-definition?

Because the practical demands of parenting often dwarf the bigger picture, it can be useful to keep a parenting journal that ties practice to goal, stimulating an awareness of how your parenting style and behavior impact your child's long-term development. As you record your own personal responses to the questions raised in this article and others, you'll eventually find that you've written your own book on parenting.

Question:
How do you help your child develop a sense of self-confidence? How do you teach a quality that you find difficult to define and manage?

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