How can I help improve my teen's self-confidence?

The following are suggestions to help improve your teen's self-confidence:

1. Keep on top of your teen's homework and grades. Set aside a time and place for completing assignments every night. If your teen has difficulties or needs help working up to their potential, look into tutoring programs or learning centers. They may fight it, but they will eventually appreciate the success they will achieve.

2. Being involved in extracurricular activities is a surefire way to build self-confidence. Clubs and teams give teens an instant peer group to belong to, give them the satisfaction of working with others toward a common goal, and often help them develop leadership skills, all of which leads to increased self-confidence.

3. If your teen isn't interested in any of the clubs or sports offered at school, look for activities in the community, or, if they are old enough, a part-time job. Weekly dance classes, riding lessons, martial arts training, church programs, or working with the public will help your teen gain confidence. Learning to have a good work ethic, having dedication to complete a commitment made, and cooperating with others are all skills that will stay with your child long after their teenage years. Whatever choice is made, the experience will add to their level of self-confidence.

4. Volunteering is another extracurricular option. Encourage your teen to find an organization or cause in which they are interested, but don't force it.
5. Relationships are key to self-confidence during the teen years. Make sure that your teen is developing positive friendships, and ask to meet their friends and their friends' parents. Make sure that your teen is choosing friends for the right reasons-because they enjoy each other's company or have shared interests, not because someone is "cool" or "popular."

6. Popularity is the magic word during the teen years. Not feeling popular may lead to self-doubt. If you feel that your teen is having trouble fitting in, have an honest talk with him or her about how they view themselves and what they want out of their friends, school, and life in general. If your child seems to be having trouble making friends, help to get them involved in a new activity that will introduce them to other young people with the same interests. It's so important to emphasize all of their great qualities and let them know that they don't have to be the homecoming king or queen to be an amazing person.