Teenagers can succumb to peer pressure to remain  in good books of their friends. Peer pressure can make a kid do harmless things or something that is outrageously risky. Mostly teens conform to such activities because the pressure from peers is too great to resist for their brittle minds.

Handling a pressure situation

In an imperfect world almost everyone faces a tricky peer pressure situation at some point in their young lives. Todays parents may have experienced similar situations in their teen days. The trick to fend off negative peer pressure has always been to make a decision and stand by it, no matter how difficult the situation might become.

Hear the gut out: When in doubt, consume a slice of pizza and listen to your gut. After all, where else could you receive such precious advice from? When your kid finds him/herself in a sticky situation they should follow their gut feelings. Guts are supposed to give strong indications to a person about comfortable and uncomfortable situations.

Forward thinking: Teenage peer pressure is ruthless in nature and teenagers should be taught to plan ahead for possible pressure situations. In case your kid catches a whiff of alcohol or drugs on someone at the party, he/she should know how to handle a situation where someone offers them a drag or a drink, or both. Carrying a half filled glass of water around would also prevent people from offering the kid a more intoxicating drink than the one he/she is already consuming.

‘Yes men’ are out of fashion: Saying no to good friends should not be a difficult thing to do. Your kid is also not required to apologize or give an explanation to friends (if they really are his/her friends). It is always better if parents teach some polite lines to their kids to use at places where booze rules the night. They will grow up to learn pick-up lines all by themselves. For now, concentrate on teaching them polite lines only.

Children of the same cloth: Teenagers should also learn to hang out with people who are similar to them in attitude. Friends can speak up for each other when the situation calls for it. Resistance on a united front can also save a teenager’s skin in tough situations.

Since parents went through roughly the same phase as their teenage kids are going through now, one can assume that they know how difficult it can be to fight off negative peer pressure. One can also assume that parents also know how empowered a kid can feel if he/she successfully neutralizes a bad influence. Your child should have the courage to stand his/her ground when peer pressure is at the highest.