Inside: 3 Ways to Build Your Daughter’s Self-Confidence during the tween and teen years.
3 Ways to Build Your Daughter’s Self-Confidence
The tween years are an exciting time, watching your daughter grow into her own person. This is also when she needs you most, as the tween years can definitely have their challenging moments.
Read on for three simple ways that as a parent you can help build your daughter’s self-confidence.
1. Model positive body image
YOU are your daughter’s biggest influence! What you say or do will affect her more than her friends and the media combined.
Avoid over-focusing on your appearance and negative comments about your body. We might not want to admit it, but there is truth to the old saying “you are your mom.” If you are confident in yourself, chances are that your daughter will be too.
2. Allow them to express their feelings
Sometimes even I forget that my daughters have a mind of their own (as they should!), so there are going to be times that we disagree or I don’t like what they have to say. I remind myself that their feelings are valid and they have a right to their own opinions.
It is important to give our children the freedom to say what is on their mind — good or bad — and keep the lines of conversation open. Starting this early on in their lives will increase the chance that they will be comfortable enough to confide in your during their teenage years.
3. Encourage them to develop their own sense of style
I’ll admit it, I’m guilty of picking out my daughters’ clothes for school because it’s fast, easy, and I know that they will match.
At almost 8 years old, my oldest has started asking me if she can choose her own outfits some days. Even if she’s wearing head-to-toe pink (in varying shades) or polka dots (or both!) I respect the choices she made and admire the independent young woman she is becoming.
We recently went to Justice because I wanted to give my daughter the opportunity to shop for and try on her Fall/Winter wardrobe and I knew that we could find pretty much anything we needed at Justice!
Her face lit up the moment we entered the store and she immediately ran over to the big green tree to enter the Justice Wishes Sweepstakes. Writing down her Christmas wish and finding a special spot to hang her note on the tree was an exciting way to start our adventure!
Related: Click here to see the must-have girls backpack trends of 2018 from Justice!
I gave my daughter a couple simple guidelines for shopping: long-sleeves only, and one of her items needed to be a winter jacket. She, in return, told me that she wanted “mostly pink clothes and a pretty dress.”
Before long my arms were full and it was time to head to the changing room. “You mean I get to try everything on?!” she exclaimed.
My heart melted as I watched her dance and twirl in front of the changing room mirror. You could see how happy and confident she felt trying clothes on like a grown-up. We talked about what fit well, what didn’t, and we both got what we were looking for (a practical winter jacket…and lots of pink!)
From the huge bag the friendly associates gave us, it might look like we spent a ton of money, but everything was very affordable and there were some awesome sales!
If you’re looking for the perfect surprise for your tween girl, Justice is THE go-to destination for stylish tween girls this holiday season. Whether shopping in-store or online, Justice makes it easy and hassle-free for anyone with a tween girl in their life to find great holiday gifts!
How do you encourage your daughter to find her own style? Share your experience in the comments below!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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[…] love seeing my daughter come into her own as a tween, developing her own style and self-confidence. Justice gives her so many choices to express […]