Teens and Peer Pressure

When it comes to helping your children navigate the perils of peer pressure you are their greatest asset. Here are a few tips to help you build a trusting relationship that can assist in countering peer pressure:

• Develop a close relationship with your child. Children who are close to their parents often times feel safe approaching them for guidance when they are faced with difficult decisions or have a problem.
• Turn off the radio and ignore the cell phone when you are in the car on the way to or from school. This is an ideal time to find out what’s on their minds.
• Know your child’s friends, have them around and get an understanding of how your child interacts with them.
• Help them to understand what peer pressure is and that it’s something all children experience.
• Share some of the experiences you had growing up and give them examples of how you dealt with peer pressure; good and bad.
• Be knowledgeable about what music your child is listening to, what he/she is watching on TV and what he/she is doing online.