Where Is Self-Esteem In The Bible?

When I was a new parent, there was so much advice about raising kids to become a success. I read everything. Amongst all the books and articles I read, the term "self-esteem" was the byword of the 90's. If you wanted your kids to amount to something special, you needed to make sure their little egos weren't damaged. The first year my daughter played soccer (she was 5, what a hoot!) every child received a trophy. The kids in her kindergarten class got stickers almost daily; best listener, best reader, best story teller, most organized. Parents pushed kids to the front of the line and did their homework for them to get them that prized sticker. How, may I ask, will kids learn patience if they don't need to wait for anything? How will they learn humility if they never fail? How will they learn work ethics if everyone gets a prize, no matter the talent or ability? How will they learn endurance, determination, discipline, pride (the good kind) if they never fail? How do they learn to lose gracefully if they always win? And how do you learn to pray and lean on God if outcomes are all manipulated for success? I've always been a bit of a rebel, and this advice never sat well with me. I loved my little kids and their little egos very much, but I didn't want them to become selfish and self centered. So, I let them fail, let them wait at the back of the line and never did their homework for them. Every success they had, they owned. Every heartache they had was shared with mommy and daddy. Every step to maturity they had was celebrated. They own who they are, not me, not the schooling, not the media. My kids are going to be okay, all on their own. This blog is written to my middle child who wondered why I blogged "I created individual thinkers" - what I meant was that Daddy and I gave you the tools and you, my dear, did the work.