Fostering a positive self-image in children is essential for their self-esteem and confidence, which will most likely play a huge role in their whole lives. But because most kids are not yet able to do a lot about it themselves, the task often falls to their parents.

A great example of this kind of parenting done right is this one TikTok video that recently went viral online. When a father found out that his son wanted to get rid of his beautiful curls so he could look more like his dad, the man didn’t hesitate to go and get a perm so he could look more like his son instead. Needless to say, the kid’s reaction was priceless. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: TikTok

Parents are responsible for helping develop their children’s good self-esteem, and this couple did it just right

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

A man learned that his son started disliking his own curly hair because he wanted to have straight hair like his dad

The TikToker couple Steven and Ashley Evans run a joint account by the name @happilyevansafterr, which has already been really popular among people online for a good while, as testified by their 2.4 million followers and 96 million likes.

However, two of their recent videos, which were posted a couple of weeks ago, received a lot more popularity than most of their content, with the first video reaching over 9.3 million views and the second one following up with more than 7.8 million views.

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

The father decided to tackle the issue by going to the hair salon and getting a perm so he could look more like his son instead

In these videos, the father, Steven, found out that their son, Gabriel, had recently expressed that he didn’t like his beautiful curls any longer, as he wanted to look more like his dad. To solve this issue, the man chose a more unique approach and decided to try and change his son’s mind in the most wholesome way.

Steven went to a hair salon and, in a couple of tries, managed to get a perm done, making his otherwise straight hair appear much more curly. Then, he headed home to surprise his family by showing off his new looks.

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

The kid was very surprised in the most wholesome way, as he couldn’t stop smiling and didn’t hesitate to give dad’s curls a thumbs-up

The family gathered in the bedroom, with the mom sitting behind Gabriel, covering his eyes, while the dad approached filming. “You know how you said you wanted to look like daddy?” Steven said to his son before Ashley uncovered the boy’s eyes. “Well, guess what? Now, you can’t because I wanted to look like you even more.”

When Gabriel finally saw how his dad looked, his first reaction was the biggest smile with hints of laughter. All of this was even more unexpected to him than it was to his mom, but it was clear that he was radiating pure happiness, which was only solidified by his thumbs up as a rating of his dad’s curls.

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

Image credits: happilyevansafterr

Check out the full video:

@happilyevansafterr Replying to @Annie + Family 🖤 results at the end! #fatherson #hairtok #curlyhair ♬ original sound – Steven & Ashley

Self-image or self-esteem, as explained by the staff of the Cleveland Clinic, is our personal view of ourselves. It is made of our characteristics that form a collective representation of our strengths and weaknesses in our own minds.

But why is it so important? Well, a positive self-image can help us recognize our own strengths while remaining realistic about the things we may be lacking, while a negative self-image pushes us to focus on our liabilities, exaggerating the failures we experience and imperfections that we have.

A negative outlook on oneself is a sure way to decrease a person’s satisfaction and the ability to function in many different areas. However, positivity, in this regard, can boost our physical, mental, social, emotional, and even spiritual health, as well as improve our relationships with ourselves, others, and the world surrounding us.

Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Fortunately, how we view ourselves is not fixed, and it is prone to change over our whole lives as influenced by the people around us, situations we live through, and many other things we encounter daily. However, like with most things, early childhood influences play an essential role in shaping this view, and people like parents, caregivers, siblings, and friends are most often one of the biggest parts of it.

As per Kids Health, a parent or a caregiver can take many steps to help their child improve their self-esteem. For example, helping them learn new things while keeping it fair, not too easy or too difficult, can be a great boost. It’s wise to focus on what they’re good at to help them feel better about themselves.

Image credits: Agung Pandit Wiguna / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Self-image is critical to our quality of life, and even though it can change over time, our parents and caregivers often play a major role in its development

Additionally, rewarding their efforts and results can make for a nice bonus. However, the key here is not to overdo it and to be honest while adding a vote of confidence where that kind of approach is needed. Noticing what they do well helps, too, especially when there are other things going on where they may be doing worse.

However, the most important part is being a good role model. Especially at young ages, children will follow and copy most things you do or say. Treating others well and putting in the effort where it is due can set a great example for the child to look up to, which can go a lot further than it may seem.

Image credits: William Fortunato / Pexels (not the actual photo)

So, in the end, it’s quite clear that Steven and Ashley are great parents who won’t hesitate to do it all for their kids. In turn, these children are very likely to grow up and become good people like their parents, continuing this chain and, if they choose to become parents themselves, showing the same example to their kids one day. Now, we can only hope that this video inspires not only them but the people watching these videos, too.

What did you think about this story? How else do you think a person can improve their own or someone else’s self-image? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The commenters were very happy about this story, sharing how they expected the video to be a lot less wholesome than it turned out to be

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