10 Ways to Avoid Negative Peer Pressure
Negative peer pressure is very common. From alcohol and drug use to
sexual behavior to bullying, teenagers are more likely to feel the
pressure to do what their friends are doing. As Bhanu asserts:
Adolescents test boundaries and experiment, often pushed to do so by
their friends. Peer pressure is real and they do things under negative
peer pressure that they would not normally do by themselves:
#1 Spend quality time
Teens need time. This is key to parenting and also the key to good
mentoring relationships. Spend them with them, even if they act like
they don’t need you, too. The quality of time is important, too.
#2 Do not talk badly about parents
Most teenager are confused and just doesn’t understand parental
behavior. Most teenagers love their parents, even if they do not show
it and talking negatively about them is not necessary or desirable.
Parents who pit the children against the other are just plain pitiful.
#3 Use your instincts
Even if you are not a parent, you have a natural instinct to help;
maybe it’s your big sister instinct. Remember to stay truthful and
value a teenager’s need for privacy and confidentiality. Understand the
trust that you have developed. Keep everyone safe.
#4 Value life skills
Role modeling starts at home and the values learned at home form a
foundation that can last a lifetime. If teenagers do not have positive
role models and value-modeling at home, they will have to unlearn
certain behaviors and learn new ones.
#5 Develop your listening skills
Asking questions and listening to answers are the best way to get
honest information and form a positive relationship. This positive
relationship can counter the negative peer pressure that teenagers
inevitably face.
#6 Know her friends and activities
Get to know your teenager’s friends and their families. If they say
they are going “out,” find out where and if you feel comfortable with
it. Visit friends’ homes and get to know their parents. Ask questions
and go where she goes.
#7 Get comfortable talking about sexuality
Just because you talk about women’s sexuality doesn’t mean that your
teenager is having sex. Talking about it helps her become more
comfortable in confiding in you and asking questions. This is a great
opportunity to talk about relationships, safer safe, sexually
transmitted diseases, and pregnancy.
#8 Watch them online
Girls are often victimized and bullied online. They are lured to
places with people whom they think are “friends” only to be sexually
assaulted, kidnapped for human trafficking, or go missing. Teach the
risks and monitor their social media by joining their sites.
#9 Be aware of weight issues
Even as adults, we receive a lot of mixed signals about weight in
terms of health, social standards, celebrity images, and reality. It is
natural for weight to fluctuate during teen years, especially as girls
develop breasts and hips. Make sure teenage girls know that they are
loved and beautiful at any weight.
#10 Promote reading
Reading opens up a new world of learning and understanding on both
local and global levels. Some teenagers are unable to travel and books
are a good way to travel without going anywhere. Even if they did not
read a lot as children, it’s never too late to promote reading.
source: sisterhoodagenda.com
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