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A Tidal Wave of Influence
Peer pressure can play a significant part in many of your troubled teenager’s decisions. Oftentimes, the influence of one’s peer group decides a teen’s first drink of alcohol or first puff of smoke, instead of your teen actually deciding for himself. For a teenager, going against the influences of his peer group can be like trying to swim against a tidal wave. His peers can come down on him forceful and hard. And in any case, one against many is a hard ratio to deal with. This tidal wave spoken of can be a nightmare come true for most parents. And as much as they would like to equip their child with the best defense possible to keep him from drowning in the influence of others, a parent can only do so much. It is the child out there who is interacting with his peers.
Twisted nature of Peer Pressure
Succumbing to the pressure of his peers can even come off as a relief to your teenager. Even if he may believe otherwise, getting things over with just to get his peers off his case can be enough relief for him to choose what they want for him. In scenarios such as this, you may even aggravate the situation and get on your teen’s bad side if you reprimand him for making such a choice. This is because, deep inside him he knows what he wants or what is right and despite him wanting to choose that path, it is like he is forced another way. He may be feeling that it really wasn’t his choice to make, and by blaming him you may then steer his anger towards you.
Acknowledging Peer Pressure
An approach you may take as a parent when faced with this dilemma is acknowledge the peer group’s influence over your adolescent and let him know that you know how it feels to be pressured. This will make it easier for your teenager to open up to you, and the more he tells you the more you can guide him in making decisions for himself. As much as possible, you should try to make sure your teenager does not get into situations where he may be pressured by his peers to begin with. Of course, you may not be watching your teen 24 hours a day, but if he asks to go out and you suspect something fishy then try to avert him from that activity. This way you will lessen the chances that he may get himself into a situation he may have little control over.
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