I don’t believe children can develop in a healthy way unless they feel they have value apart from anything they own or any skill they learn. They need to feel they enhance the life of someone else, that they are needed.
— Fred Rogers

We can help our children accept themselves for who they are by showing them that we accept ourselves – with our unique qualities, and our weaknesses as well as our strengths.
— Dorothy Nolte

Nurturing competence, the food of self-esteem, comes from acknowledging and appreciating the positive contributions your children make. By catching our kids doing things right, we bring out the good that is already there.
— Stephanie Marston

Parents need to fill a child’s bucket of self-esteem so high that the rest of the world can’t poke enough holes to drain it dry.
— Alvin Price

When I had progressed in my piano lessons far enough to play simple hymns, Father would sometimes allow me the fun of being the pianist in a small church meeting. Therefore, early, I was given a sure sense of self-worth, the recognition of my individuality, and the assurance of being loved and cherished. These are securities that parents can give their children only through their actions.
— Catherine Marshall