Today's Word of the Day is SELF-ESTEEM. Self-esteem is a noun meaning, "Confidence in your worth and abilities."
Self-esteem goes all the way back to the 1650s, where it meant "good opinion of oneself". It has become increasingly popular in the last fifty years as we have come to realize how important it is that everybody be able to come up with things they are proud of yourself for?
Try to ask yourself and/or your children these questions. I had this conversation with my nine-year-old daughter Gabby today:
ME: Gabby, what do you like about yourself?
GABBY: My teachers like me because I am good at school.
ME: Because you do well in school or because you behave well?
GABBY: Well, both, I guess.
ME: But what do YOU like about yourself?
GABBY: I like that I am good at gymnastics.
ME: Yes, you are good at gymnastics.
GABBY: When I work hard to get a new skill and then I get it, I am SO PROUD of myself.
ME: And you should be! You work very hard. You know what makes me even more proud of you?
GABBY: What?
ME: When your gymnastics teammates get a new skill, you are the first person to start clapping. When they struggle, you encourage them. You really motivate them to excel.
GABBY: So I guess I like that I am a good teammate, that I am good at gymnastics, that I am a kind person, and that my teachers like me.
ME: I'm glad we had this chat about your self-esteem, Gab.
GABBY: Me, too.