I’d really love some honest advice from mums who have teenagers/adults and who’ve done it - how to bring up children so they’re both confident and kind to others.
I’m sorry if this sounds like a weird question, but I thought it was worth a shot asking it here because although my son is only one year old, I can feel myself slipping into the habit of apologising for his behaviour when it’s not necessary (he’s an active child and very wilful, so he’s into everything and touches faces/grabs at people’s bags and glasses etc), or minimising the positive things he does (for example, he walked quite early - some people commented and each time I said something along the lines of, “Well we’re glad he’s walking because he’s been screaming to get on his feet for months! He’s been a nightmare!”).
While often I think I’m quite good at not caring what others think, one thing I really don’t want to be is a mum who brags about their kid or doesn’t hold them accountable for their actions, and I think I’m way overcompensating for that. And more than this, I worry that he’ll turn out to be the sort of person who’s insensitive to others’ feelings - but at the same time I worry I’m going to leave him with zero self esteem. I’m just not sure how to strike that balance. He’s soaking up so much now and I don’t want to look back and realise I never really advocated for him, or that I’m responsible for his low self esteem or something. Equally though I don’t want to bring up somebody who doesn’t care at all about how his behaviour affects others… I’d greatly appreciate any advice you can give ❤️