Handling Peer Pressure in Teenagers

Peer Pressure on a teenager can be either positive or negative.


The positive pressure should be encouraged while the negative pressure must be discouraged and totally prevented.

The positive pressure occurs when your teenager is attracted to the right set of crowd. This means, the teenagers group of friends are those that have focus and are right thinking.

How do you get these set of youngsters? Chemistry says 'like minds attract'. Encourage your teenager to attend church or religious group meetings that encourage focus and ensures that he is always with a positively minded group.

Do not discourage his/her friends from visiting!

Knowing the type of friends your teenager associates with helps you to understand the kind of pressure he/she may be subjected to.

This last term of high school has been the most challenging. The sense of belonging that can be obtained from joining friends to participate in such things as Sexual escapades, Illegal Partying, Drugs and Alcohol imbibing, Carrying Firearms and Knives, Wearing Fashionable (sometimes exposing and hip styled) Dresses. The list of bad habits can be endless!

I have been forced as a result of these various types of pressures to discuss issues would ordinarily consider 'not for teenage ears'! This ensures that I can pass a positive opinion and in a conducive atmosphere ensure that the opinion is well received and will help my teenager to withstand unnecessary pressure.

Meeting out punishment can sometimes help to bring your teenager back to track, but most of the time puts their back up! My teenager tells me 'you should be able to know what I can do! how long will it take you to understand me?

Most of the time I shout right back that, with experience, she will get to know that parents are most likely right! Realistically, when I calm down, I relate experiences of other's who have fallen victim of similar circumstances and their results (sometimes unpleasant or fatal). This has helped to bring my teenager back to line.

catherine is a professional accountant and an investment consultant. visit http://www.teenyguide.blogspot.com/

By Catherine Adeyemi
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