Parenting is an important aspect of a family that involves bringing up a child or children from childhood to adulthood. It also involves taking responsibility for a child’s physical and emotional well-being. In other words, people who provide care for children are called foster parents or care givers in some cases.
The main purpose of parenting is to bring up a child physically, emotionally, socially and mentally. This process of parenting is significant in a child’s overall well-being because it defines and forms the personality of that child. Therefore, intentional parenting is important in every family.
Parenting is not limited to a bringing up one’s biological child or children. It involves showing care, love and concern to every child in the society and community where we live in.
This episode of BYL shares stories of teenagers who narrated the experiences they encountered growing up with single parent. These stories revolve around parental neglect from their fathers and the impact of actions on these teenagers’ mental and emotional well-being.
This episode also shares story of a teenage girl who had of deformity on her hand from birth, the emotional and physical damage it caused mostly among her peers and how it affected her sense of self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY BACKGROUND AND SELF-ESTEEM
The family is a primary unit that plays a significant role in a child’s well-being. The role of the family to a child gradually builds that child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Hence, when a family fails to help a child build his/her self-esteem at the pristine stage, that child might keep struggling even to adulthood to regain a healthy self-esteem. In other words, both biological and foster parents play a significant role in the self-esteem of their children.
A major consequence and characteristics of children with low self-esteem is emotional or psychological issues that could make the children traumatized. The self-esteem developed during childhood forms an individual’s personality at adulthood
This episode of ‘Blackie, yam-leg and lefty’ gives insight to the importance of intentional parenting which is paramount to the building the self-esteem of a child.
Furthermore, a healthy self-esteem promotes academic excellence, self-confidence and self-worth.
There is a misconception that comparing one’s child or children to other children makes that child improve mentally and academically. However, having a comparison is not ideal because it tends to reduce a child’s self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth. In other words, it makes a child feel less of his/herself.
It is necessary for parents to makes conscious efforts and be intentional towards consistently helping their children build a healthy self-esteem.