About Peer Pressure

Friends and Peer Pressure

family life, young woman lacing up boots

Understandably, most parents will go to great lengths to make sure that their children do not get into any trouble.
They have never-ending discourses with their children about what’s right and what’s wrong; what they should do and what they shouldn’t.

Making the right choices
Knowing that they cannot follow their kids everywhere and knowing how vulnerable kids are to succumbing to negative peer pressure, many conversations revolve around giving your teenager advice about the dangers of bad peer pressure and making the right choices.

However, kids will always be kids; and by their very nature, kids are bound to make mistakes along their journey of self discovery. This is universal among all growing kids. What makes the big difference is how you as the parent react to your kids mistakes. Kids are going to be influenced by many people for many different reasons.

Peer Pressure and Teenage Life

If you think your teenager is under the wrong influence and you wish to get them back on track, here are a few things you can do:
Kids easily get into the habit of blaming their peers just so that they can get off the hook. However, you should not let them get off so easily.

Children need to be taught that they are accountable for their own actions and they need to accept part of the blame if they are hanging around if these friends.

Choosing a good circle of friends and understanding about how peer pressure can affect their teenage life is a part and parcel of learning to be responsible.

Teenage Life can be difficult for the child and parents but giving teenagers help, advice and skills that will help him get out of bad situations will be time well spent.

Role play and act how the various options available to your child.

Tell them that what they choose to do should be entirely their responsibility and if they have chosen
not to join in any particular activity they should not get coerced into it by anyone else.

Your child needs to be aware that you have no authority or control over what their friends do or don’t do, but you certainly are in charge of your child and intend exercising your authority to keep things in check.

Offering teenagers help and advice about peer pressure is best done before there is a problem.

Develop a plan together about whether your child
should be allowed to hang out with those very same friends or not.

Agree clear rules and non-negotiable limits about keeping company with certain friends and the type of activities they get up to. If you make the rules overly ridgid they will be easily broken.

Ensure your teenager does understand the rules and why they are important. Do not just rhyme off a list of dos and don't.
When you need to apply the rules apply them reasonably with an amout of flexibilty.

Trust is very important In teenage life
You need to trust your teenager to make the right choice and if they find themselves in a situation that they feel they cannot get out of by themselves they will need the reassurance you will come and get them no matter what.

More parenting resourses:
Active Listening
Spending More Time Together
Drinkaware