All parents want to provide for their child and protect them. As an educational leader for over twenty years, I believe Eileen Kennedy Moore has it right in helping parents understand that the best gift they can give their child is life experiences where they build determination, resilience, and humility. From these hard-won mindset ‘muscles’ comes true self-esteem. Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop Real Self-Esteem provides not only a scientific and field-tested information to help us understand this truth but also practical tools for parents as they raise their child to be the confident, determined adult they are meant to be.
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There are no shortcuts to becoming a confident, determined adult. Self-esteem isn’t something parents can give to a child through praise or propping up in school, sports, the arts, or friendships. As Eileen Kennedy Moore points out in Kid Confidence, and those of us with years of experience in education know empirically and from research, the real gift parents can provide that leads to self-esteem is time and space to live through their own experiences so self-reliance, grit, and confidence blossom naturally. Kudos to Dr. Kennedy Moore for explaining this truth so clearly and passionately and providing the practical tools for parents to wean themselves from ineffective and often damaging interventions in hopes of building self-esteem.
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Every generation of parents has its own unique challenges. Current parenting norms, described by the often-heard phrases of ‘helicopter or drone parenting,’ include best intentions gone awry through meddling with a child’s ability to build her own self-esteem. As Eileen Kennedy Moore articulates in Kid Confidence, the true gift a parent can give is the opportunity for their child to gain the life experiences, skinned knees and bruised egos included, that authentically develop inner confidence and resilience. Dr. Kennedy Moore provides practical advice on how parents can positively impact self-esteem.
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Come visit the NMR Parent library and check out the recommended books we offer. We have several by Dr. Eileen Kennedy-Moore.
