ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with allowing children with the opportunity to explore their identity, which says 'you are important enough to get to know', and 'you have worth, a history, and a place in the world'. It discusses how to equip children with the knowledge that their worth as a human being is innate, and does not require validation from the outside in. The chapter is also concerned with teaching children and young people skills to enable them to 'emotionally float'. The task of establishing a secure sense of identity is a complex, long-term task dependent upon a myriad of factors. Piece by piece, the picture from the puzzle emerges. In teaching children about emotional self-care from an early age, we are providing lifelong skills which may, in turn, reduce the extent to which children attach themselves to unhealthy and codependent relationships to increase their self-esteem 'bank balance'.
