How to Build Confidence in Your Kids | Dr. Becky Kennedy & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Lately, you say, "Hey, we're going over so-and-so's house," and they say, you know, "I don't like their kids. " You go, "Well, listen, "you got to learn to play with other kids. " And they go, "No, I don't like their kids.

" And you say, "Did something happen? " And so we're not talking about a dangerous situation. Yeah.

And they're like. "No, I don't like them. I just really want to just stay home.

" Yeah, this is a great- Yeah. So are we going to impinge on their, I mean, because we're teaching them, either way we're teaching them something. Yep.

You got to do stuff you don't want to do, even if you don't like it. Yep. And here again, we're ruling out the possibility that there's something- Of course.

Unsafe about the environment. Yep. Psychologically.

Or physically unsafe [inhales]. But at the same time we're teaching them, "Hey, I see you, I hear you. "But, you know, your desires might not be right.

" There's actually a kind of like a tacit message of the way you feel might not be the best gauge of what's best for you, which sends a complicated message to a kid. Totally. So this is again, where I think a good inside, like, family jobs are so useful.

Family jobs, to me, when I used to meet with parents, and like they describe a situation, I feel like 90% of the time, that's where I'd start. Because then that flows from there. It's like a framework.

So, wait, what is my job? I'm the one who sets boundaries. Like, I am the one who makes key family decisions.

Obviously, as our kids get older, they should be making some decisions too. No one likes to feel controlled, but key decisions. And my job is to validate my kids' experience.

This is actually complicated because, again, over and over we think that validating my kids' experience means they're going to dictate a decision. My boundaries don't dictate my kids' feelings. And my kids' feelings should not dictate my boundaries.

They're just two equal things. So, this is a great example. My kids are like, "You know, I don't like playing with those kids "and can I just stay home with," let's just say grandma was home.

"Can I just stay home? " And I'm like, I just think it's important to go as a family, but my kid doesn't want to go. There's nothing dangerous.

Okay, to me, this is that exact way of putting family jobs into action. "Sweetie. " Like, and to me, this phrase, I wish every parent could say this to their kid, "I believe you.

" If you want to make a kid feel real and confident for life, confidence comes from the experience of being believed. 'Cause that's how you, for me, confidence is self-trust. It's not feeling good about yourself.

It's self-trust. I really do know the way I feel. So let's say I say to my son in that situation, it's, "I believe you.

" I'd start that way. "I believe you. "Look, I know you want "to play football all day "and the kid around your age hates football.

"Like, that would probably be lowest "on your list of types of kids "you'd want to hang out with for the afternoon. "I totally believe you. " "And in this family, "we know that sometimes we have "to do things we don't love to do.

"We do that for a family experience. " I say this to my kid all the time, "You know, also just to end up being a good adult, "you just have to end up practicing as a kid, "doing things you don't want to do. "Things that are boring, "things that aren't your preference.

"So, you know, you notch in your belt for that. "So, you don't have to thank me. "And, also I know you have it in you "to do your best to be polite and engaged.

"Like I just, I know you're a good kid "and this isn't what you want. "And I know we're going to get through it. " Now if it's really hard, maybe I'm, "Hey, let's create a sign.

"Like, can you look at me and go make that, "when you feel like you're kind of at this "and then me and you we're going to go to the bathroom. "I'm going to give you a hug. " And, I'm going to say, "I know this isn't what you want.

"And when we get home, "we could watch that football game," whatever it was, right? Because what we often do is we leave ourselves with two choices with kids. We either say, "Fine, stay home.

" Their feelings actually just dictated the decision. That's not helpful for them. I don't want my kid to learn in life when I don't want to do something people twist and turn to make that thing not happen.

Like that's disturbing for adulthood expectations. But then we do the other thing, which is like, "You are so selfish. "Just because you don't have a friend your age "doesn't mean that you can't come with us.

" So, we either let their feelings dictate, or we think our boundaries kind of give us the right to be mad at our kid, right? Like to do both is so important. And so that's where I think to me, when I hear impingement, like I actually think that is the exact space where you have the most bang for your buck as a parent.

Like, it's not enjoyable. And again, if I have my beautiful intervention with my son, do not think my kid will look at me and say, "I love how you explain that. "That was so beautiful.

" No, he's going to roll his eyes. My job is not to take the bait 'cause I'm an adult. And to also hold hope.

I think that's really important, this concept of I'm validating my kids' feelings where they are today, but I need to be the one to hold hope that they can cope with it. If I can't name to my kid, "I know you're going to get through it. " They're not going to be able to see that kind of next more mature version of themselves.

And I actually think it's the same as your best boss. You know, it was like, "I know you don't want to go on this trip. " I don't, whatever it is, "I know this presentation topic isn't the one "you would've chosen.

"And there were 10 things "and this was literally number 10. "I totally get that. "And it stinks.

"And I'm not taking anything away from that. "And this is the thing I need you to do. "And I know something about you.

"Like when you put your mind to something, "you always do a great job. "And, like, it's probably not going to be enjoyable, "but I do know you're going to do a great job on this. " Like, [inhales] that's like the boss you want!

Amazing. Right. Are you adopting children by the way?

I- Because I actually. I finished college. [Becky laughs] I actually- You, I'd consider Andrew.

Okay. Adult children. [Andrew laughs] What I'm hearing is don't dictate their behavior and I'm going to underline in bold dictate, don't dictate their behavior.

"You're going to do this because I said so. " Yes. That's dictatorship.

But at the same time, don't quash the emotion behind the resistance, can acknowledge it, make them feel real. "I believe you. " Yes.

I love this phrase. Amazing, and I love your definition of confidence. If people didn't hear that, we're definitely going to repeat it again.

And we're going to etch it into your neural circuitry. 'Cause I love that. It's a self-trust.

Yes. And this notion of giving hope, you're giving them an incentive that's based on a reward that's actually good for them, that they can translate to other situations as well. Wow!

So much there. Can I double-click On reward. Please.

Because you know what made me think? I didn't think until you said that. Like, I think in a situation, we'd would you be tempted to say like, "And if you go and you're polite, "I'll give you 20 extra minutes of Roblox.

" Right, that's like [inhales] and first of all, let me just say something like, whatever I say to you, like for listeners, like, it's not like I do this stuff all the time [laughs] with my actual kids. I'm the first one sometimes to be like, "Here's your thing, I have to dangle. " We'll provide a little section in the comment section on YouTube where your kids can.

. . No, I'm just kidding.

Yeah, exactly. Your kids are forbidden. No, oh wait, that's, wait, that's dictating.

[Becky laughs] We understand why you, I believe that you would want to comment, [Becky laughs] but we're going to trust, we're going to let you know why it's good for you if you don't- anyway. Exactly. I'll practice this on someone else's kid.

But the reward, like the [sighs], when your kid ends up seeing themself capable of doing something they didn't previously think they could do, that, you know better than me, like, I feel like that is like one of the best rewards. Even if it's getting through a social situation or I think about this a lot with, you know, my little kid is I don't know, like struggling with a puzzle or something. And I could just do it for them.

Or if help them kind of regulate, "Oh, this is a hard puzzle. "And you can take a break. "I just know you're going to figure it out today.

"I just know it. " And then because of that, they get there. That feels in your body, like that is the best kind of reward and it's the type of reward that works for kids in a adulthood.

When they're in a job, we want them to be motivated by the feeling they're going to have of pride, not be saying, "Hey, I finished by thing early. "Do I get a bonus," to they're boss. Like that's not going to play out as well.

I love it. I'm just pausing and shaking my head, only 'cause I love it so much. And I just want to make sure that i don't quickly move to the next question, without drilling down even deeper- into some of these concepts.

Yeah. I believe you as the feedback, a response that can instill real confidence over time. Not to get too nuanced here, but how is different, because I sense it is different than, "I hear you.

" I hear you, but- [laughs] you're going to. Yes. Do this anyway [laughs].

Yes. Or, I hear you. But listen in this family, dah, dah, dah.

Yeah. I believe you, the word, believe, is powerful. And I believe there's real power in specific words, as is, for instance, sturdiness.

Again, that's such a powerful and underused word. I believe you. You're a psychologist, what do you think we're hearing when somebody says, "I believe you," that's different than, "I hear you.

" I haven't listed these out, but I think we all have these core needs as humans. And I think being believed is one of them, because it's one of them, it's someone else else kind of saying, [sighs] like, "You're real. " That's what, I might not feel what you're feeling, but that thing that feels strong to you, that nobody can see or measure, is real.

And when I think about the most confident people, I think about this girl who I went to Duke with, and she was just brilliant, like so smart. We were in this seminar. It was one of these small classes where this professor was talking about stuff and like for one felt like, I have no idea what this person's talking about.

But, I was like no one else is stopping, and this girl raised her hand and she says, "I'm sorry is everyone else is annoyed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, "because I usually do. "Is there anyway you could say that in a different way.

" That is like to me, the utmost version of confidence. That she believed her own experience of confusion, was real confusion. She didn't think it was a sign she was stupid.

She believed it. She believed herself. That is so confident.

And, I think when someone says, "I hear you," it's like a version of listening. There's many worse phrases. No damage is done.

When we follow anything with but, but, we tend to invalidate. That's not good anyway. "I believe you but," is also not going to.

. . But there's a million examples of this to me that build confidence.

And I actually think there's so many situations with kids where they say situations, and we rate, "Oh, they have low confidence," and then we intervene to quote, make them feel better, which actually is the thing that lowers their confidence, 'cause it's like we say to them, "I don't believe you. "You're not really feeling [laughs] the way you feel. " Where "I believe you," is the exact opposite.

So like, I like to give examples, because it makes it concrete. Like my kid will come home and say, I don't know, ah, "I was picked last for dodgeball today. "I was picked last in something.

" And they're clearly, very, very sad, right. And we want to say to them, "It's no big deal. "Everyone's picked last sometimes.

"Remember yesterday you told me, "you we're picked first for basketball" And we think, I need to build up my kid's confidence. Those are confidence, I don't want to say destroying, reducing interventions. 'Cause a kid is kind of coming to a parent, basically saying, "I'm very, very upset, "that I was picked last.

" And we're saying to a kid, no you weren't. And they're like, "But I am. " And what they learn, this is really terrifying to me, is that other people are better feelers of my feelings than I am.

And that has like a million really scary interpersonal, I think, relationship [laughs], kind of consequences later down in life. But, when a kid says, "I was picked last, "and nobody even wants me, "and they all think I'm the worst athlete," whatever kids say, just sit and say some version of like, "I'm so glad we're talking about this, "and I can tell that was a really hard gym class "and sweetie, like, I believe you. " You will watch your kid, it is crazy to me what parents tell me happen, when they say those words to their kids.

They're like, it also, just like literally, diffused everything, and they were like ready to move on, liKe they are just trying to tell you probably, like I was feeling something, it was a lot, it was confusing, or feelings are always hardest when we're alone in them. So, I was alone in it and I'm bringing it to you. When someone says, "I believe you," not only are they giving you that core need, they're also just like, they're like sitting down with you in it.

And that makes everything better, and then meanwhile, what I kid feels like when we say, "I believe you," to a hard experience or a hard feeling is "The feelings that overwhelm me, "don't overwhelm my parents. "They can tolerate it. "They're not scare of me kind "of being a loser in gym class one day.

"And if my parent likes me "when I have that feeling, "like I can start to like myself "when I have that feeling. " Thank you for tuning into the Huberman Lab Clips channel. If you enjoyed the clip that you just viewed, please check out the full-length episode by clicking here.