Why is the topic of self-esteem personally important to you?
Hi ladies,
Do you have daughters? Did you struggle with self-esteem issues? Tell us why self-esteem conversations are important to you.
Not yet, I'm hoping to show my daughter the self confidence I have to try and make sure see that it's how we live.
I had some low self esteem as a child.. but I was actually never a follower I never did what others were doing.. I knew better I was better then them..
Because they smoked didnt mean I had to.. I was more the quiet kinda girl.. the shy one in the school corner.. you know
We have a 12 year old. I don't struggle with self-esteem issues. I did for awhile when I was a young girl and we moved from a very rural community in the South, to a large city in the North. I went from knowing everyone in the community, to seeing strangers everywhere. From having relatives and friends in and out of the house all the time, to being isolated. From having my father out in the fields and barn, to him working 2 jobs. From my mom having the little post office as a little building on our property, to her working at a huge post office. My sister took care of my three brothers and myself. We spoke differently, we dressed differently, we ate fresh vegetables from our back yard garden. Everyone else ate from boxes. It was culture shock. I questioned everything, and wondered what was the right thing to do and say. My teacher thought I might be "slow", because I would hardly talk. I was afraid of being made fun of. My mother, a former teacher, asked her to test me. I tested 2 levels above my grade, and then won the spelling bee for the school. That gave me more confidence. My mother and teacher working together, brought me out of my shell. Gradually I came into my own.
I enjoy talking to other moms about their struggles and what they're doing to overcome their issues with self-esteem and how they're learning to not pass this on to their daughters. I like hearing about how they are becoming strong role models for their girls. Sometimes our kids inspire us to do things we would never do just for ourselves. Talking with other moms is inspiring to me.
When I grew up I was very shy and was picked on in elementary school because of it. My youngest dd isn't as shy as all that, but my oldest dd struggles with shyness and being in public, so I like to encourage her to go out in public more and suggest how to interact with people.
Sue ~ Head Admin
~ D.V. Survivor/Admin
What effect do you think that healthy relationship with your parents had on your self-esteem? What are you doing to raise your kids similarly?
I have an amazing relationship with my parents, especially my dad. I am what I am today because of him. I attribute my healthy self-esteem and drive to succeed to him. DH and I really work hard to make sure DD's childhood is similarly stellar.
Quoting Charizma77:
I have a 6 yo dd and she reminds mea lot of myself as a child. I had a pretty good self esteem mainly because of a good relationship with my parents. We had a very open, honest and fun loving family. My dh and i are raising our kids similar to how my parents raised us. I hope and pray that my kids do havea good self esteem.
That awesome. What are you doing differently from what you experienced growing up?
Quoting elasmimi:
I grew up with such low self esteem that I made a lot of mistakes as an adolescent and young woman. I did not want my girls going down the same path.
I had HUGE self esteem issues as a child! I have a birthmark on my face that the kids couldn't resist commenting on and it hurt a lot. My mom told me to just ignore them, but that's easier said than done! DD does not have anything like that, but she's very self conscious about other things, and I try to tell her not to worry about it, but she's 12 and doesn't listen to me lol
Happy Mothers's Day!
- Cafe AmyB
on Aug. 7, 2012 at 8:21 AM