If children believe in themselves, they can achieve much more in the future. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is help improve your child’s self-esteem and confidence. So, what are parents supposed to do?

1. Be constructive (建设性的) with your criticism (批评)

【小题1】 When your child does something wrong, don’t talk about how he is “bad”. Instead, discuss how the behavior is bad. Offer constructive criticism about how he can improve his behavior.

2. 【小题2】

Put your child in the position to learn new things and explore his creative side. By developing his creativity, he’ll gain confidence as he tries new things.

3. Encourage problem-solving and decision-making

From the time when your child is young, allow him the opportunities (机会) to make decisions and solve problems on his own. 【小题3】

4. Help overcome (克服) fears

One of the best ways to help improve your child’s confidence and self-esteem is by helping him overcome his fears. 【小题4】 This is sometimes due to fears. They don’t think that they will do well, so they are afraid to try. As a parent, you must be able to know their fears and then put them in the position to overcome them.

5. Develop your child’s natural gifts

Talk to your child about his dreams and goals, as well as things that he is both good at and fond of. 【小题5】 By developing his natural gifts and helping him find his talents and hobbies, you’ll improve your child’s confidence, self-esteem and overall happiness.

   Everyone sleeps. However, taking the time to develop a sleep habit is probably the last thing on your mind and some sleep advice simply can't be forgotten. 【小题1】.

Watch TV until you fall asleep

It has nothing to do with what you watch-TV news isn't a better pre-sleep choice than TV series. 【小题2】. The bright light keeps you awake all night. So even if you nod off（in front of the TV, for example）,you probably won't stay asleep for long.

Sleep with pets

【小题3】. They get comfortable, and then they move. This goes on all night, and whether you admit it or not, it interrupts your ability to get the level of sleep needed to feel rested.

   Have you ever had the following experience? You have been given the task of organizing a conference, which includes a must-do list about a mile long. There are the conference site, the guest list, the materials, the technology and even the food and drink to think about and plan. If you are beginning to feel the stress, slow down and take a breath. 【小题1】

Write down your goals. You will need to clearly define what you hope to accomplish with this conference because this will shape the rest of your decisions.【小题2】

Develop your budget.【小题3】 Then break that budget into different parts such as the conference site, materials and speakers’ fees. Stick to your budget, and make sure your assistants are keeping their monetary limits as well.

【小题4】 When searching for locations, keep in mind the number of participants, the convenience of the location, parking and closeness to public transportation, airports and hotels. Your goal in finding a place to hold the conference should be making it as easy as possible for participants to attend.

Seek help from the staff of the conference site. If you have chosen a site that is known for holding conferences, you can seek help from the staff there as organizing meetings is what they do every day.【小题5】 They should be able to answer any questions or concerns and provide advice when needed.

Of course, full preparations also include a walk-through. Go to the site and meet with the staff the day before to be certain that everything is in place and to take care of any small details.

   Undoubtedly, the best way to prevent illnesses of the mind is to exercise the brain. Here’re some great exercises to sharpen your mind.

Never stop learning. 【小题1】 One way is to take classes online through websites like Coursera, org or Edx. org, where you can take courses from the top universities for free. Perhaps you would like to learn a new language. 【小题2】 There are wonderful language programs available through RosettaStone. com and Duolingo.com which offer many lessons to choose from.

Read something everyday. Reading itself is a wonderful brain exercise. Make a point to read something every day. It could be a newspaper, book, blog or magazine, but the more informative it is, the more of a workout it will be for your thinking cap. 【小题3】

Exercise your body. Exercising your body affects your strength, mood and fitness. Exercise excites the nervous system and causes you to perform at a higher level.

【小题4】 Communicating with others on topics of common interest is a great workout. Talking about in-depth topics like headline news and political interests exercises your ability to pay attention and focus. There are always many like-minded people who enjoy the same hobbies or share the same beliefs.

Play games. The act of solving problems and figuring out puzzles is excellent for keeping your brain in shape. 【小题5】 Solving math equations or word puzzles, and even just a quick game of Bubble Witch will do wonders for your thinking processes.

   While some high school seniors begin to enjoy writing their college essay, others fail to see the importance of it. In some cases, these 600 words determine acceptance or a rejection. 【小题1】 It is also a process of self-discovery. Here are some helpful tips.

1. Have fun! When you get upset, it is reflected in your work. Relax, breathe and realize that this is the time to expose a side of you that the grades cannot.

2. Don’t settle for basics — be creative! 【小题2】 Stay away from volunteer work, your dead dog and vacations. Admission counselors (入学辅导员) see thousands of essays a month; make sure your essay is distinct from your experience and personality. Do not focus on what you think they want you to write, but what is actually significant to you.

3. 【小题3】 Although it is effective to appeal to the emotions of an admission counselor, I do not recommend writing an essay about sad stories. Self-pity can be annoying, and most admission counselors do not want that to be their first impression of you. 【小题4】 Make sure that the story is focused on your growth, not on the struggle.

4. Your essay is not a longer version of your resume (简历). If you send in a resume, there is absolutely no need to restate what is on it. Many students like bragging (吹嘘) about how much they do. It is amazing that you are involved, but admission counselors do not only want to hear about how much you do, especially if they already see this on your resume. 【小题5】

Good luck on your college essay!