Before having kids, I never felt like I was 'good' at anything. My dream growing up was to be a singer but I never pursued it as I always felt I would never achieve it and I was (and probably still am most of the time) quite negative towards my skills or achievements or just myself in general. I didn't feel I had any great 'success' in my life before having and raising my girls and I always promised myself that I would encourage my kids to have a bit more self-belief and confidence in themselves than I ever did.
Since having Sienna and more so since she was the age of 2 and able to understand more, we have really tried to express to her that she can achieve anything she wants and has to believe in herself. We have always encouraged her to try, try and try again or give things a go, as she may not realise what she's good at if she never tries. We don't want her to be 'over' confident but I want her and Aria, to really try hard and be determined at something if they want the success.
Being 4 years old now, she has recently become more and more aware of her surroundings and the fact that everybody is different. She seems to always be noticing things and asking questions about peoples behaviours or different skills they have or they fact she can or can't do something compared to someone else. I know this is only going to increase when she starts school and is mixing with lots of other children all day, everyday.
I remember watching the Paralympians in last year's Olympics with her and she was amazed that they could still win even though they were 'different'. I think she almost felt proud that they had done it and I made a point to tell her that they just had to find a way that worked for them and their situation, as opposed to just doing what other people did.
This infographic below from Mobility Nationwide has some of the perfect examples that #AchievementForAll is possible. I think it's so important for children to be empowered from a young age about their dreams and goals and have that self belief... No matter how big or how small, or how 'impossible' they may seem to other people.
How do you encourage self belief in your children?
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