Building Self Esteem
Posted by Neena on 03/22/08 in Children of All Ages, Health and Beauty, Just for Moms, Parenting Tips
Building self esteem in our children is part of a parent’s job. If you have a daughter, this job is made even more difficult because of the media.
This commercial by Dove may be a bit extreme - but it summarizes all of the body image messages that our daughters are being bombarded with. Messages that tell them that they are not beautiful “as is”. We, as parents, need to be aware of this and the effect that it has on our goal of building self esteem.
Take a peek at the video and tell me what you think. Is it over the top or is it an accurate reflection on how our daughters will someday perceive themselves? What can we do about this - and how can we twist these negative media messages to work on building self esteem instead of breaking it down?
tag this
Tammy | Mar 24, 2008 | Reply
I think the commercial is a bit over the top but it is a reality for some of our female youth. Today’s girls (and boys) are constantly bombarded with ad campaigns focusing on beauty, weight loss, fashion etc. Even among their peers they face great scrutiny. Unfortunately we cannot shield them from advertising that can adversely affect them but as parents we must do all we can to instill self confidence and show that inner beauty is much more beautiful.
Neena | Mar 24, 2008 | Reply
Tammy,
You said it so well. Beauty does lie within and we must show that to our children. Having the media send the opposite message is frustrating.
raghav | Mar 25, 2008 | Reply
Neena: I think it is a reflection of the ad world today and we cannot realistically shield the kids from them. All we can do is to instill self confidence and engage in activities that help strengthen their self image and accomplishments. Nice work and I am confident you will be protecting your daughter well!
Nan
Neena | Mar 28, 2008 | Reply
Raghav,
Thank you for the vote of confidence!
And, no, we cannot eliminate the media from our lives. But teaching our daughters to digest the information in a healthy way and to not judge their own bodies by the images that they are bombarded with daily, will be difficult for sure.