Self-esteem and confidence can evade teens at times. While low self-esteem affects most of the world, 85 percent to be exact, it takes a hold of teens, especially girls. The following are seven ways you can help your teen reclaim confidence and happiness.
1. Tackling the Smile
A big step you can take is to tackle your teen’s smile. One big reason some deal with confidence issues involves their teeth.
People may have a gap, stained teeth, or a misalignment. Whatever the issue is, try to find the best option. For teens with misaligned teeth, there are several braces options, some of which are quite discreet. Talk to your dentist to find out how to improve your kid’s smile.
2. Comedy Helps
Most parents try to focus on helping their teens feel more confident, and that’s great. Attempting to get to the root issue is a good idea, but other things can help, too.
Your teenager may not feel like smiling, but if you share a joke or watch comedy, it could help. It seems that the more you smile, even if it has nothing to do with how you feel inside, it can boost your confidence. Do this enough, and you might see some positive results; just give it some time.
3. Smile Often
Smiling is powerful as mentioned earlier, so use this tool to your advantage in any way you can. You can certainly use comedy, but just smiling more works, too. Most human beings can’t help but mirror other people’s emotions. It’s just the way people are built.
If you want your teen to smile more and be more confident, make it a point to smile. Just smile when you say hello, whenever possible. Make sure everyone in your household does the same. You’ll be surprised how effective this is, and it’ll help everyone, too.
4. Encourage Self-Improvement
Self-improvement can also do a lot to build confidence and make your teen happy. This helps internalize happiness and confidence. It helps your teen believe in themselves a little more, and that leads to happiness.
Help your teen start and finish something he or she is interested in. This could be something as simple as cooking a meal for everyone or learning to play an instrument. Talk to your teen to find out what might work.
5. Promote Responsibility
Parents like to tell their kids what to do. While this is your job, you have to be smart about it if you want your teen to be more confident and happier. One thing you can do is encourage responsibility.
Instead of planning out an outing, why not let your child plan out the day. Provide your teen with a budget and everything you normally have to consider and allow your child to show you who he or she is.
6. Set Genuine Expectations
It’s important to set genuine expectations and nothing more. At times, parents expect more from their kids than their kids can offer. You have to get to know your teens and set realistic expectations from them.
If you know one of your teenagers isn’t strong in science, why would you expect them to excel in that subject? By expecting more from your teens, you set them up to fail, and that won’t be good for their self-esteem. Spend time with them, and get to know their strengths. Be realistic about what you expect from them.
7. Boost Assertiveness
Much of what your teen faces comes from their peers. Bullying and negativity will come their way from friends or peers. You won’t be there to protect them, so you have to do something to help.
This is where assertiveness comes into play. Give your teens a chance to develop their assertiveness at home. You can do this by simply allowing your kids a chance to reject something you propose. Allow them to make their case, and if they are right, then go ahead and let them win. It may seem strange to give your teens this much power, but if you do, they’ll know their worth.
Conclusion
Helping your teen reclaim their smile can be done in numerous ways. Some are more direct, while others will take some time. Still, all of these tips will help your teen find their self-confidence and smile.
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
