Raising a confident child is every parents dream. Many parents go out of their way to provide the best of resources, coaching and more to their children in their quest for raising confident children.
There are kids that are very good at grasping whatever they set out to learn, but when it comes to expressing the same, they hesitate to do so. On the other hand there are kids that do not know much but are able to express themselves albeit in an ostentatious manner. This can give rise to self-esteem problems in children. Knowledge when shared in the right way is definitely a reason to be proud of but it is definitely not the same thing as being over confident.
Over confidence stems from a feeling of superiority, a child may be intelligent and good in grasping things and also good in expressing knowledge, but if he/she refuses to accept his mistakes and remarks in a positive manner, he/she can be said to be an overconfident child. Over confident children assume that they know it all and tend to thwart all efforts by parents and teachers to improve their knowledge. They feel that it is below their dignity to take someone else’s inputs. Such children may become arrogant down the line if this trait is not addressed in time. Their grades might fall in school if they do not study thinking that they know everything.
What others think of over confident Children?
- Teachers that may initially find such children to be smart and intelligent gradually realise that these kids pose as if learning is complete and that they do not need to learn or re-learn anything. They may take a dislike towards such children and shift their focus to other kids.
- Friends that are in awe of such kids may suddenly start to stay away from them.
- There could be punishments awarded in class due to non-obedience with regards to home works, lessons and other general instructions. Their self esteem could take a beating due to this.
- They might throw tantrums at home due to suppressed anger and cause frictions.
- Such children could become rebels due to their arrogant behaviour and lose out on friends.
- Loneliness could envelop them and they could land up in depression.
Steps to be taken to address this Issue:
- Parents must raise their children with affection and avoid pampering and smothering at home.
- The child should be made to understand that learning is a continuous process and therefore he/she should be open to learning.
- If the child shows traits of being over confident and does not prepare for the exams thinking he/she knows it all, the parents must gently try to make the child study without it appearing like an order.
- If nothing works at home, parents must consider meeting the school counsellor or a psychologist and seek professional help.
Over confidence in children is not a healthy attribute and needs to be addressed in time so as to avoid further complications in their personality.
