Nurturing Your Child’s Personality

As a parent, it’s important to nurture your child’s personality and help them grow into a confident and independent person

Afzal Badshah, PhD
Teachers on Fire Magazine
5 min readMar 1, 2023

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Photo by Gustavo Fring: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-family-having-fun-with-soccer-ball-4148842/

“Personality is the most important thing to an individual. It is the total sum of one’s attitudes, goals, and values.” — John C. Maxwell

Personality is the set of characteristics that make a person unique. It includes their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Personality is shaped by a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, and life experiences. Personality is an image that lives in the minds of others and is what defines a person. For example, when the name of Nelson Mandela is mentioned, the image of a great, hard-working, and persistent leader is conjured up in every mind.

I personally believe that personality is a product of our trained subconscious. You often hear that a person is bound by habits. What are these habits, actually? They are our unconscious. Our life is shaped by our unconscious.

Human psychology has a simple rule: they first believe in action, and once they believe that what they are doing is right, it becomes their behaviour. All of our behaviours are connected to our belief systems.

Look at a real-life example

Once my friend came to me, wanting to register his son’s name at the Union Council office. Registration had been delayed and a penalty was due.

Parents often delay their child’s registration so that they can register their age lower and be eligible for any job later. From this point of view, one of our fellows advised him to write down the date of birth of his son during those days, so that penalties could be avoided and the birth of the child could also be written later, which would be useful later.

Hearing this, my friend asked him, “What advice are you giving me? Does it mean that I should start lying and committing fraud in relation to my child from now on and expect him to be a real person later?” His sentence raised his stature in my eyes for not choosing the path of lies, especially regarding his child.

Working on Children's personality

Make the child the best person they can be. They appear to be sophisticated in their cleanliness, dress, speech and walk. You may have seen people who look very attractive when they walk, their self-confidence reflected in their gait.

Conversely, you may have seen people with hunched shoulders appear less confident with their body shape and gait. The following practices may be the best points to teach your children

Self-awareness helps them in better decisions

Self-awareness is the first step to developing a healthy personality in children. It is important to teach children to be aware of their own thoughts, feelings and actions. This will help them make better decisions and understand how their behaviour affects others.

Parents can help their children become more self-aware by encouraging them to talk about their feelings and experiences, and by providing guidance and support.

Dressing well makes them feel active and confident

I personally experienced that dressing gives confidence. It polishes appearance. This is the main reason it is an important part of developing a positive personality in children.

Teaching children to dress appropriately for different occasions can help them feel more confident and comfortable in social situations. Parents can help their children dress well by providing appropriate clothing for the occasion and teaching them the importance of personal hygiene.

Setting personal goals keeps them motivated

Setting personal goals is also a necessary element for children's personalities. Teaching kids to set goals can help them stay motivated and focused on achieving their goals. Parents can help their children set goals by encouraging them to think about what they want to accomplish and by helping them break down their goals into smaller, achievable steps.

Learning skills help them to overcome weaknesses

The 21st century is a time of skills. You may observe that skilled people are earning more than those having higher degrees. Teaching children to identify their weaknesses and work to improve them can help them become more confident and successful. Parents can help their children learn new skills and overcome weaknesses by guiding and encouraging them to take risks and try new things.

A good character is key to a positive relationship

Character and behaviour are important aspects of the development of a positive personality in children. Teaching children to be respectful, honest, and responsible can help them develop positive relationships with others. Parents can help their children develop good character and behaviour by setting a good example and offering guidance and support.

Self Esteem gives success in life

Self-esteem gives success in life. It also helps in decision-making. Teaching children to value themselves and recognize their own strengths and weaknesses can help them feel more confident and secure. Parents can help their children build self-esteem by giving them unconditional love and support and encouraging them to take risks and try new things.

Willpower and discipline keep them focused

Willpower and discipline are important aspects of developing a positive personality in children. Teaching kids to stay focused and motivated can help them achieve their goals. Parents can help their children develop willpower and discipline by setting clear expectations and providing guidance and support.

Positive thinking is key to smooth life

Positive thinking is an important part of developing a positive personality in children. Teaching children to focus on the positives in life can help them stay motivated and optimistic. Parents can help their children develop positive thinking by encouraging them to think positively about themselves and their experiences, and by offering guidance and support.

Good moral values give a positive relationship

Good moral values play an important role in the development of a positive personality in children. Teaching children to be respectful, honest, and responsible can help them develop positive relationships with others. Parents can help their children develop good moral values by setting a good example and providing them with guidance and support.

Parenting and Schooling-A Comprehensive Guide​

Nothing is more important than our children. We usually use the traditional way of parenting and ignore all the things which are required for a positive personality. Hopefully, the points above may give a great start to nature as a positive child.

The writer can be reached via Google Scholar, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp.

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Afzal Badshah, PhD
Teachers on Fire Magazine

Dr Afzal Badshah focuses on academic skills, pedagogy (teaching skills) and life skills.