Peer Pressure: How to Teach Your Teens to Stand Up for Themselves
Parents only want what is best for their children. More often, parents are the go-to person of their young children. However, as they go through adolescence, children would want to expand their horizons. As the kids are growing up from tweens to teens and then later on, to adulthood, they would be looking for people of their same age whom they can share their stories and spend more time with.
Sometimes your teens would come across friends who would force them to do stuff that they do not want to do and they would have no choice but to say yes because they might be afraid to be rejected by their friends. Being a parent there are ways on how to avoid your teens from getting caught up in peer pressure. Here are 8 tips to teach your kids to protect themselves from peer pressure.
No Means No.
Teach your teens that when they say no, they really mean it. They should never say "no" when they are not sure. Tell them that they may use "I don't know" or "Maybe" instead. When they are uncomfortable, they should say "no" firmly.
Suggest Alternatives.
Your teens might be hesitant to say no to friends because they might be the odd man out and be left with no friends in the end. Teach them to offer alternatives instead, say if a friend invites them to skip class, they may answer that "I'll attend the class, but I'll just meet up with you after school."
Body Language Plays a Big Role.
Tell your teens that when they mean no, their facial and bodily expressions should also mean no. Action speaks louder than words. When they say no while smiling, the recipient might think that they could still influence your teen into saying yes. Teach your teens to stand their ground by making eye contact and remaining calm when they say no. Or they could just walk and stay away from people that could cause them harm.
Reinforce Values.
Remind your teens that they have to stick to their values. Sometimes what is okay with one person may not be okay with the other. Tell your teens that it is their choice whether an action is right or wrong. Parents should help their teens establish boundaries so that they will be kept safe at all times.
Practice New Strategies.
Teens gain confidence when they develop new strategies. To do this, help your teens by role-playing. Give them certain situations and ask them how they would respond. Teach them tips on how to say no to peer pressure in different scenarios.
Practice new strategies with your teens.
Look for Other Examples.
If role-playing does not work well with your teens, try to look for another situation wherein they do not have to feel pressured. For example, if you see other kids or teens that look like they are under peer pressure, ask your teens how they think the kid or teen would handle such a situation. This might help your teen to think creatively without putting the pressure on them, so by the time that they encounter the same scenario, they would know what to do.
Look for other examples to teach to your teens.
Be Their Role Model.
Act out how you say no showing them the facial and body expressions that you would under such circumstances. Children learn by watching their parents in many ways. This way, they develop unconsciously and effortlessly.
Let Them Use Your Title.
Apart from these tips, if your teen still could not say no to peer pressure, then teach your teens to "blame you" so that it would be easier for them to reject any offer from peers. Tell them to say that "My mom is calling me" or "My dad is waiting for me" so that they would get away easily and also to save their face from their friends.
Know Their Friends.
Parents have more experience in meeting different kinds of people. Sometimes just by looking at your teens friends would tell you immediately who your teens should keep and who to let go. Watch out for red flags and advise your teens about this nicely because you would not want to offend them. Then in the future, your teens would know how to choose their friends wisely to avoid getting into peer pressure.
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