It's up to you to provide a positive environment whereby friends, family and even strangers can feel free to accept the challenge of new experiences and increase their self-esteem. People with positive self-esteem feel good about themselves and are more effective and productive. They are proud of their accomplishments, act independently and assume responsibility. Those who have a good sense of self-esteem are more likely to be successful in school, their jobs and even their personal relationships. Most parents want their young children to have a healthy sense of self-esteem.
Many observers believe that low self-esteem lies at the bottom of many of society's problems.
Even though self-esteem has been studied for more than 100 years, specialists and educators continue to debate its precise nature and development. Nevertheless, they generally agree that parents and other adults who are important to children play a major role in laying a solid foundation for a child's development. During their early years, young children's self-esteem is based largely on their perceptions of how the important adults in their lives judge them. The extent to which children believe they have the characteristics valued by the important adults and peers in their lives figures greatly in the development of self-esteem. Self-esteem is related to children's feelings of belonging to a group and being able to adequately function in their group.