Prepare youth for good and bad peer pressure.
Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman asked: "And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?" She simply replied, "No peer pressure." Peer pressure isn't something a lot of 100+ year-olds worry about, but it may very well be an issue your child is struggling with everyday. Peer pressure can be a complicated thing – it can be good and bad.
Too often, people jam the words peer and pressure together and think of it as a bad thing. Sure, peers have power. Peers have the power to encourage your child to try a cigarette or tryout for the basketball team. Maybe you hate to admit it, but your child has a friend you don’t like. It’s not unusual for you not to like all of your kid’s friends. In fact, as kids grow, they’ll befriend all kinds of people. But the fact of the matter is, we can not always control the influences in the lives of our kids. What is important is that as adults and parents, we prepare our kids to handle the pressures and situations that will come their way.
Start here:
- Talk openly with kids about your values and share situations where your beliefs were tested.
- Role play with your kids and their friends. Talk about what they would do if they found out a friend was pregnant or using drugs.
- Watch the TV shows and movies your children are interested in and talk about the situations shown.
- Get to know your children’s friends. Invite them to your home. Ask them questions.
- Ask your child what they like or dislike about a friend.