As a parent, you have the opportunity to encourage your teen to be authentic and true to who they are as an individual. Here are four tips to help guide them towards self-confidence, self-acceptance and authenticity.
1. Support Their Hobbies
For your teens to feel comfortable with being true to themselves, it’s important to support them in their unique hobbies and passions. If they have an event or performance that you can attend, be sure to do so. If they love to talk about their hobby, be ready to listen. Knowing that they have the support of their parents will help your teen feel more confident in who they are.
2. Make Room for Failure
We all fail at some point in our life: we bite off more than we can chew, take the wrong path or just fall flat on our faces. What can really help us get back up, however, is support. As a parent, you can do this for your teen. This helps them to know that even though they made a mistake, it isn’t the end of the world.
3. Help Them Set Goals
Sometimes teens can get overwhelmed by all that they “should” do or everything they’re “supposed” to accomplish. Help your teen gain self-esteem by encouraging them to set small, manageable goals. This will help them to appreciate their accomplishments and progress little by little, encouraging them to take bigger risks as they learn and grow.
4. Celebrate Accomplishments
While being there for your teen when they experience failure is important, so is celebrating their success and accomplishments. When your teen overcomes an obstacle, completes a goal or achieves something new, be sure to cheer them on and celebrate in a way that they will recognize and appreciate.
Overall, there are several ways that you can encourage your teen to be their authentic selves. The most important, however, is your unconditional support. By lending and open ear and a shoulder lean on, your teen will always feel as though they have someone to turn to when times get tough.
