Building Self-Esteem in Pre-teen Girls

Many parents may be concerned if they have a young daughter or a girl who is getting to the tumultuous pre-teen age. This has almost always been a turbulent time in the life of a young girl, but with the increase of media attention on the body and the overall general view of the female form, many young girls may be having trouble maintaining the self-esteem that they deserve to have and need to have, in order to have a chance of succeeding in their life. Because of this, some parents may be wondering about their role in all of this. How can they help to make sure that they provide as much support and encouragement for their pre-teen girl as possible? Here are some tips to help pre-teens and their parents make sure that these young girls grow up knowing the truth about their bodies, forms and well-being.

1 - Being active in sports is proven to help girls stay healthy in their lifestyle choices. There are less likely to drop out of school, smoke, and have children at a young age. Part of the reasoning behind this may be because sports allow an individual to have a set goal and they have something to work towards. By being able to attain the goal that they set for themselves in sports, pre-teen girls are able to provide themselves with some respect and a feeling of self-worth since they are able to make decisions themselves and work on something to benefit themselves and others. Consider enrolling your girl in some sort of extra-curricular activity if she is not currently in one.

2 - Exposure to strong role models can have a profound effect on pre-teen girls. Make sure that they are shown enough examples in their formidable years of women that faced challenges and went on to succeed. Having role models in the form of strong women will allow these girls to have solid visual examples of proof that girls and women are capable of making good, strong and admirable decisions. It is also proof that they can succeed in difficult areas, as well.

3 - If a mother is inclined to criticize her own self-image around her daughter, this needs to stop. All this does is continues the perpetuating cycle and belief that women and girls are not good enough. It is very important that women understand that their comments in this field will affect their daughters and other young women that hear them. In order to help others promote a healthy self-image, parents need to start with themselves. If you are a young teen and you hear your mother acting in this manner, kindly ask her to stop and why she feels like she is not good enough. She has clearly raised a wonderful daughter and likely has many other things to be proud of as well.

4 - Don't let stereotypes stop anyone. If a daughter or young girl wants to try out for the football team, learn how to change the oil in the car or fix the broken hinge on the door - let her. All of these experiences will help her later in life when she will need to do other things on her own as well. Learning these skills will help her to realize that she is not helpless and does not need someone else around to take care of her and protect her. All humans crave companionship, but this does not mean that we need to be taken care of or saved from something. Women are just as successful as men and it is important to start instilling these beliefs and capabilities early in life.

5 - It is important that girls are allowed to try things, even if they fail. If a parent, especially a father figure, is always swooping in to save the daughter, this may inadvertently be deciphered as being helpless, weak or incompetent. None of those words describe women with good self esteem, so it is important early on to allow your daughter to try and fail, and learn how to handle some things herself. If she needs help, obviously it is important to help. But there is a line that needs to be drawn at some point in order to make sure that she knows she can and will be able to take care of herself in the long run - she is that strong and amazing.