Slumps and failures themselves have been the best forms of character development, including confidence, with both my sons. As a parent it’s hard to watch the struggle, but when they do come out of it, oh the growth that occurs! I think mostly what I said during the struggle was my belief in them to overcome and that if they needed help getting thru it I’d help them or find someone who could help. It’s funny how they handled the struggles sometimes better than I did as a parent watching it.