Self-esteem is based on having a conscious awareness of, honoring and respecting one's own emotions, needs, decisions and desires. A person with healthy self-esteem thinks, “I am aware of how I feel. Sometimes I feel this way, and sometimes I feel that way. I have a right to feel anything I want. My desires are legitimate and should be honored. I have a right to honor and try to fulfill any of my desires. My needs are important and people need to respect and attend to them. My decisions are valid and important and need to be honored and respected by people.” Such a person not only has a healthy relationship with himself, but since he treats himself with so much respect, he tends to treat others with equal respect and to be very kind, generous and helpful. How do we get a child to think in this healthy way

Raising a child is a team effort, and the child is part of the team. Therefore it is absolutely indispensable that we have the child's cooperation. If a child decides that he wants to work against us, that he doesn’t wish to cooperate, our goals will undoubtedly be frustrated. It is therefore vital that we find a way to induce our child to work with us. 

The most important factor in a child’s education is the extent to which we teach him to enjoy learning. Teaching a child to take pleasure in study is the greatest guarantor of his intellectual success! A child who enjoys the bliss of learning will be self-motivated and will read and explore knowledge voraciously for the rest of his life. Therefore the most important question we need to ask and answer for our child when he engages in schoolwork is, “What is interesting, fascinating, amazing and beautiful about what I’m studying right now.”

The following education tips for parents will not only improve your child’s education, but will do wonders for his or her emotional health and your relationship as parents, two things that are arguably even more important that education. I have developed these tips based on my Montessori and teaching experience, clinical experience, advice from my mentors and experience educating my own four boys.