For their birthdays and Christmas, we all want to get the best toys and gadgets for our children and teens. In this series of articles, Dr. Davenport shares ideas for giving your child or teen one of the greatest gifts of all: self-acceptance, self-kindness, and self-direction.

Self-compassion is not self-esteem where one compares ones’ self faults with others’ strengths. It is also not self-centeredness where one feels that one is better than others. True self-compassion involves accepting one’s strengths and needs, being kind to one’s self, arguing with one’s inner critic, and developing self-direction through problem-solving and goal-achieving.

Children with learning, attention, social, or emotional problems often lose esteem because of continued failures and struggles. They negatively compare themselves to their peers who don’t struggle, and over time, they can easily become unmotivated. Poor motivation often leads to negative beliefs, harmful actions and a cycle of continued failure. The good news is that parents and teachers can help change a child’s trajectory in life by helping them develop self-kindness. Read this series of articles to learn how.