This conversation is a chance to explore how we can use our bodies and voices to express confidence, even if we aren’t feeling super-confident on the inside.
Spend a few minutes talking about parties and social events. How, when you were young, sometimes you were really nervous and didn’t know how to act. Or where to stand. Or what to do with your arms. Explore with your child what nervous looks like. How does it show up in how people act?
There were always other kids there who seemed confident – and looked like they were having fun. Explore what confident looks like?
What do you suppose is the difference? Why might some feel confident – and others not? Always – a very big part of the story – is that people feel confident when they know what is going to happen and they know what to say or do. They aren’t afraid.
Find some times to act out a scenario or two. Maybe riding home from school? At the dinner table. Informal. Light. It shouldn’t feel like a lesson. Simple exposure – repeated exposure – to the basic interactions is all it takes. Developing something akin to muscle memory – so they don’t even have to think about it when the situations arise.