How to Help Kids Deal with Embarrassment

Don't minimize their feelings, but do praise them for being resilient

For most adults minor embarrassments are just a part of life -- annoying, but inevitable and hardly a big deal. But for many kids, embarrassing experiences can be very upsetting and, in some cases, may lead to serious issues like anxiety and avoidance.

We can’t protect our children from embarrassment, but we can help them build the resilience and confidence they need to deal with it in a healthy way.

Model Behavior

Kids look to parents for cues on how to manage difficult emotions like embarrassment. "As parents we set the behavioral tone for our kids," says Dr. Rachel Busman, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, "So when we're helping children learn healthy emotional habits, the first step is to consider how we handle similar situations in our own lives."

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To finish reading the full story, visit the Child Mind Institute website: http://childmind.org/article/help-kids-deal-embarrassment/