Taking the Lead: 9 Tips for Teaching Teens About Peer Pressure

What is peer pressure? If your teen has asked you this question, learn all about how to properly answer it.

Do you have teenagers? Can you remember what it feels like to be that age? It’s an age of trying to figure the world out, how to navigate your emotions, and how to deal with friendships and the drama of relationships.

What is peer pressure, and how has it changed since you were a teenager? The truth is that we never outgrow peer pressure from our social groups, we simply learn how to deal with it better. It’s a topic that can be challenging to talk to your kids about.

Let’s take a look at some tips that can make discussing peer pressure with your kids a little easier.

Taking the Lead: 9 Tips for Teaching Teens About Peer Pressure

What is peer pressure? If your teen has asked you this question, learn all about how to properly answer it.

1. What is Peer Pressure?

Peer pressure in simply pressure put on an individual by their group of peers. This can be a powerful force when the individual wants to feel included or liked.

Many teenagers deal with their feelings internally. They push things down because they don’t know how to define what they’re feeling. Thus when they are going through difficult times with friends or at school, they resist telling their parents about their struggles. They might be experiencing peer pressure but have maybe never heard the term or understand what it means.

Open a conversation with them. Explain the meaning of peer pressure. Relate to them a story of when you were young, and situations you went through during school that helps them see you understand what they’re going through.

2. Be a Good Active Listener

Teenagers need to feel they are heard. It’s not easy to be open and honest about things they experience with friends or at school. Peer pressure can be traumatizing, and knowing that a parent is actively listening can help them feel that they are not alone.

When it comes to being an active listener, you don’t need to say anything. Just be there to listen.

3. Seek Ways to Strengthen Your Bond with Your Kids

The closer your relationship with your teenager, the more they will trust you, and they will be more likely to open up about what they are going through. As your bond grows, the trust between you will grow along with it. A strong parent/child relationship is one of the keys to making your teenager feel safe enough to share.

4. Encourage Your Kids to Make Good Decisions

A teenager’s self-esteem has a huge impact on his or her ability to make good decisions. When a young person feels good about themselves, impressing their peers will matter far less. It’s vital to teach your children to trust their instincts, because the better their instinctual reactions, the better their decision-making ability will become.

5. Set Healthy Boundaries

Work to develop strong, healthy boundaries with your teenager. It’s important for a young person to understand what a boundary is, as well as to understand the expectations that a boundary represents.

As a young person learns to respect boundaries set by a parent, the easier it will be to establish boundaries with his or her peer group. Because of this, boundaries can be one of the most effective tools in dealing with peer pressure.

6. Don’t Overreact

It’s important as a parent to keep your emotions in check, stay calm, and not overact to anything your teenager says or does. If you get upset or jump to conclusions, they are likely to shut down and not be willing to talk anymore.

Just remember, you’re going to hear things that you don’t like. Learn to take a deep breath. Remaining calm in these situations will show your teenager their willingness to trust you and to open up to you is what matters most.

7. Teach Them About Good Self Image

We cannot overemphasize the value of good self-image. The teenage years are a time when self-expression is of utmost importance to a young person, and you need to do your best as a parent to step back and let your child feel free to experiment. Their self-image will be reflected in their choice of clothes, hairstyle, and even the type of music they listen to.

One of the most valuable gifts you can give your child during this period is space. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and try not to judge. They are simply trying to find themselves. Resist the urge to criticize a style choice, because their self-image can be very fragile at this stage, and the last thing you want to do is embarrass them.

8. Get to Know Their Friends

Knowing who your child’s friends are is an important part of parenting. Who are they hanging around with? What are those friends’ parents like? Being aware of the quality of their friends will give you tremendous insight into your own teenager, and give you a better idea of their self-image and decision-making ability.

9. Teach Them How to Respond to Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is unavoidable, but how each of us deals with it has a direct impact on our self-esteem and the type of individual we become. This is why it’s crucial to maintain an open line of communication with your children, to assure them that they do not have to respond to pressure from their friends to do things they are uncomfortable with.

Teach them having the strength to walk away from situations they know are wrong will make it easier to do what’s right in the future. The ability to turn away from peer pressure builds character, plain and simple.

View here for more information on dealing with the consequences of peer pressure.

Standing Up to Peer Pressure

Helping your kids to recognize what is peer pressure, is a significant part of helping them to grow into strong, confident adults. There are different types of peer pressure, some more subtle than others. Teaching your kids to listen to their inner voice, when it’s telling them to walk from bad situations, is a life skill that can serve them well.