Low Self Esteem in Children

A child who has low self-esteem will affect nearly everybody with whom he comes into regular contact. Low self-esteem affects the child because he is often not able to complete things because of a lack of confidence. It affects parents because they often don't know how to improve his self-esteem. It even can affect his peers. Luckily, there are warning signs that can help people identify a child with low self-esteem.

Quitting

• Quitting is an easy way for a child who has low self-esteem to try to gain some control. For example, if a child with little confidence in himself is playing a game in which he is struggling, instead of feeling as if he is not good enough he often quits to avoid the feeling that he is unable to complete the task or game. Children often make an excuse that the game or activity is dumb or boring.

Clowning Around

• Some children make jokes or clown around in some other way when they lack confidence in themselves. This often occurs when a child is feeling pressure. Acting silly helps him forget about the pressure for a moment, but it does nothing to fix the root of the problem.

Bullying

• Bullying is a classic example of a child acting out in a physical manner because he feels inferior in some other way to his peers. This is especially true in situations in which children feel vulnerable. Children with low self-esteem seek out peers who have a noticeable weakness and prey on them to take the attention away from their own insufficiencies.

Impulsiveness

• Just because a child is impulsive does not mean he has low self-esteem. However, in many cases, children with little confidence in themselves are impulsive at times, such as when they do school work. For example, a child who struggles with math may finish his paper quickly to simply get it over with, regardless of whether the answers are correct.

Denial

• The words "I don't care" are often heard from children with self-esteem issues. Children who say they don't care about a school assignment, their social life, their family life or other situations are hoping to avoid talking about issues they would rather suppress.