I’m sorry for your family’s loss. I’m glad this post is helpful. Thanks for commenting.

Couldn’t agree more. The main thing is Jesus and everything else follows. Set the foundations for the future.

Yes I love this article too, it is a great idea for my sons especially the older whose self talk is so negative using this tool to reframe or rephrase I think is a cool technique thanks to you for sharing I appreciate you

I raised two successful sons. and one daughter. One son is 48 y/o and the other, my youngest child is 30 years old. So, they were from two different generations. The most important ingredient, I found, was faith in Jesus Christ. The other was consistency. I told them what would happen when they did thus and so and I kept my word. I also made sure they could read and write since I find public education to be very limited. I encouraged them to always reach further then what they considered their limits and to think critically. All of my children are married to their original spouse and my 7 grandchildren are all doing well. Teach your children what it means to have faith, be consistent, educated, and to think critically. If you do these things they’ll be fine. What you miss, God will take care of. Pray every morning early for your family. My kids like to pray early as well. God bless you. Linda

Hi Erika, I am emailing you my response, but wanted to add it here too for others who might need it. Sometimes there is only so much we can do as a parent. Our kids are born with unique characteristics and are also exposed to things outside our control and knowledge that can impact their behavior. I can relate to the insecurities you experienced since I grew up with many of the same. Personally, I only overcame them with the help of healthy relationships that I was blessed to develop AND some time with a counselor who helped me view my life and attitudes from a different perspective. It sounds like you are providing a healthy, supportive relationship for your son, but perhaps he needs more. I’d enlist the help and support of other friends and family members so that he is getting self-esteem boosts from multiple sources. You might also consider finding a counselor or therapist for him to talk to. With self-esteem issues, we often don’t want to tell the people closest to us about them because we don’t want to negatively impact those relationships. It can be easier to talk to an outsider, especially if we can do so in a way we feel safe. Further, the support and advice from an outsider can sometimes carry more weight since that person isn’t obligated by unconditional love to be positive about the person they’re speaking to.

Hi Diane, thanks so much for your comment. I agree. I love my daughters and their self-esteem is important, but as a society, we neglect the needs of boys. Enjoy those wonderful boys of yours! 7 and 9 are fun ages! They are so full of creativity and not all out of whack from puberty hormones yet.