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Why Peer Pressure?
Remember what your teenager usually says when he reaches a certain
point in his life? “Mom, I want a PS 3. Everyone in school has
one!” “Dad, please let me go to the party or I’ll
be the laughingstock of the whole school! Everyone will think I’m
so uncool!” “Mom, I need to have my hair cut this way because
it’s the hot new look!”
Harmless? Yes, but in some ways, it is also distressing given the pattern
his requests and desires are following. Your teenager is going through
a certain phase in life, and with it comes trying to fit in, doing what
everyone else is doing, or wanting to buy something or look a certain
way just to be considered “cool.” Peer pressure is a vicious
beast and can truly transform the way your teenager is behaving.
Peer pressure is one of the nightmares many parents have to go through
especially because they will need to do everything they can to make
sure their children are immune to it. More often than not, peer pressure
tends to be negative, and therefore greatly affects your child and the
way you two relate to each other.
If you notice your teenager undergoing some changes completely alien
to you, or you have more difficulty reaching out to him, it’s
time to get some answers to the hard questions. For instance, why does
your child appear to be receptive to peer pressure? In this case, it’s
entirely possible that he’s seeing something he likes in his friends,
and wishes to be like them as much as possible. Self-esteem is also
an issue, and perhaps your child hasn’t been able to build up
a very strong sense of self yet to know what is or isn’t right
for him.
Children give in to peer pressure because of the need to belong. We
usually conform to what our friends want and what they expect us to
be, and this tendency is even stronger in young people. They spend more
time outside the house and in the presence of different influences,
and all of them will be able to change the way your child thinks and
behaves. You should therefore try to spend as much time as possible
with your child. For starters, try to find out what his interests are
and what he likes to do.
Another reason could be your teenager’s desire to experiment and
develop a sense of freedom. As he grows up, he encounters many different
things in life, prompting him to welcome new things more openly. With
the changes in his life, he may feel the need to discover his identity,
and trying things brought about by peer pressure is a way for him to
explore himself further.
Giving in to peer pressure is like a way for a teenager to become accepted
by his friends, and experimenting with what he learns enables him to
learn more about himself. As a parent, you should stand by your child’s
side and make sure that he isn’t going astray, and make sure to
communicate with him so you always know what’s going on in his
life.
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