Teenager Self Esteem - The Good, and The Bad 

Teenager self esteem is a  complex issue. Many teens today do not feel good about themselves and as result have poor self esteem. But before delving into teenager self esteem, lets define healthy self esteem

It means that a teen values himself, they trust their feelings and abilities. They know that everything in life is not perfect but they feel equipped mentally to deal with the ups and downs of life. They expect that life will work out for them and they categorize themselves  as happy and expect positive outcomes as they work towards their goals. 

Teenager Self Esteem - BAD

What does poor self esteem look like - It means the teen does not value themselves or trust his/her abilities. They have trouble making decisions and often feel depressed and lonely. Many feel the world is out to get them and no matter what they do, they can not win. They may view themselves as losers. Often these teenagers turn to drugs and alcohol and often become depressed or act out. They have trouble expressing their feelings and they also often do poorly in school. 

As a parent it is important that you understand how a teenager's brain develops  so that you can more effectively communicate.

This section of our site is design to help you:

1.  Improve your communication with your teenager and  

2. Provide resources you can turn to for help with teenager self esteem. 

Parents more than anyone else can have the most impact on their child's self esteem These principles produce positive and healthy self esteem. Whenever possible try to reinforce these with your teenager and when you feel good about your child mention it to him or her. Be generous with praise. Use what is called descriptive praise to let your child know when they are doing something well:

Teenager Self Esteem
Guiding Principles

• When you make a mistake, it is best to own up to it and correct 
  rather than ignore it and pretend it didn't happen. Self-respect and power come from admitting your mistakes, learning from them and taking corrective action.
• You are capable of creating anything when your life has purpose, focus and direction. You have the potential to be so much more than you might imagine; the most important thing is that your life has meaning for you. Try to find things that you love to do. 
• Keep your commitments to yourself and others. By honoring your commitments you demonstrate integrity, credibility, and earn respect. 
•  Positive self-talk empowers you, makes you stronger, and builds confidence. To eliminate negative self-talk: (1) recognize it; (2) interrupt it; and (3) replace it with a positive message. We offer many self esteem activities and ideas to help you or your teenager do this. It begins by understanding how the brains messaging works.  
•  Take responsibility for your own results instead of blaming others for your problems. Taking responsibility for your thoughts, words, and actions will set you free from the pain of blame and guilt and allow you to respect yourself. 

There are a lot of resources on the web, here is another site that will guide parents on how to increase a teen's self esteem.