Building Self-Confidence

Being a parent can sometimes tax your patience and your confidence in being able to cope with daily problems. At times, you may feel comfortable and self-confident, and at other times you may feel uncertain and fearful about your decisions.

We all strive to feel comfortable and good about ourselves. Self-confidence is measured by the way we feel and the way we behave.

There are ways to boost your self-confidence so that you feel better about yourself. Here are a few suggestions:

• Examine and determine what YOU want out of life — not what other people want for you or want you to do.

• Live your life from this moment on. Don’t become discouraged by past mistakes.

• Trust your own decisions. You are the best judge of what works well for you.

• Don’t put yourself down. Instead of saying, “I can’t do it,” say, “I am going to try to do it.”

Your Baby Is Now 1 Year Old

Both you and your baby have come a long way. You’ve helped your baby grow into someone who can sit, stand, climb, and reach for things and who can think, feel, understand you, and maybe even say a few words.

You can look back with pride on the past year and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. At times it was hard, but you managed well. Hopefully, you had some other people in your life to help.

From now on, your baby will grow and learn at an amazing rate. You can look forward to the coming years, confident that you will help him develop into a responsible human being and love everything about him.