PARENTING February 18, 2002 Issue

For what it's worth

By Madora Kibbe

SOMETIMES IT SEEMS like we're living with a two-edged sword—side one: self-aggrandizement, side two: self-loathing. The modern world is like a full-time advertisement for both extremes.

We're supposed to love ourselves, put ourselves first, get in touch with our feelings. Ironically, the result of all the self-searching is more often than not a feeling of emptiness, depression, worthlessness. Obviously both self-absorption and self-hatred are bad; both are in fact two sides of the same coin—a coin called "self-worth out of whack."

But if it's hard for adults to figure this out, imagine how hard it is nowadays for kids to find the right way to value themselves. How can we show our children a way to feel valued that doesn't hog the spotlight or take up all the available oxygen in the room?

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