The Fathering Project 

Hamish Blake is known best as one-half of the Australian comedy duo ‘Hamish & Andy’. Blake is also a father of two young kids, Sonny and Rudy, with wife Zoë Foster Blake.

Blake has appeared on various Australian television programs, as a regular guest on ‘Spicks and Specks’, ‘Rove’, and ‘Thank God You’re Here’.

In April 2012, Blake and Lee won a Logie Award for their television program ‘Hamish and Andy’s Gap Year’. Individually, Blake also won the Gold Logie Award for ‘Most Popular Personality on Australian Television’.

Listen to the Pod cast on Hamish regarding parenting:

https://thefatheringproject.org/fathering-channel/podcast-hamish-blake/

Building resilience and self esteem in children

Self-esteem initially develops within family and close friends and is shaped by the perceptions and feedback of these people that are most important in the child’s life. Community, teachers, sports coaches can also play a role in the individual child’s self- esteem in a positive or negative way.

Positive self-esteem in the younger years is influenced greatly by warm, caring and engaged parenting. During adolescence the significant people in the child’s life begin to expand to include teachers, coaches and most importantly friends and peers.

Just as positive influences affect a child’s self-esteem, negative comments, disapproval, not living up to expectations, can also negatively affect a child’s self-esteem.

Some tips for building your child’s self-esteem and resilience:

1. Love Unconditionally. Make sure your child knows your love does not depend on their grades, performance or achievements.
2. Set aside time to really listen to your children and show them that you value what they have to say.
3. Tell your children how special they are. Develop each child’s sense of themselves as an individual that has their own special characteristics and positive qualities.
4. Give positive feedback. When you feel good about the way you child is behaving or the things they do, mention it to him or her. Children remember the positive and the negative statements we say to them.
5. Praise effort as well as success. Encourage a positive attitude to learning and improving as just as valuable as winning or succeeding.

Dr Bruce Robinson is the founder of The Fathering Project –

Watch the video

https://thefatheringproject.org/fathering-channel/bruce-talks-resilience-self-esteem/