AD| Teaching Your Child to Resist Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is when your child feels like they have to do something just because their friends are doing it, or when they feel pressured to behave in a certain way.

Peer pressure is something that most children will experience, so it is important for parents to make their children aware of peer pressure and help them to understand how to deal with it.

Here is some great advice from an in independent school in Birmingham on how to help your child resist peer pressure…

Help your child to understand peer pressure

To help your child tackle peer pressure, they will need to be able to spot when it is happening. Explain to your child certain situations where they may experience peer pressure and role play some examples. Teach your child to be sensible and confident in their decision making and encourage your child to talk to you about their worries.

Teach your child to say NO to peer pressure

It is important that your child feels confident enough to say ‘no’ when something makes them feel uncomfortable. This can be difficult if they are standing up to friends, but it is important to explain that true friends will not pressure them to do something they are unhappy about. You could teach your child to offer an alternative suggestion in response to peer pressure. For example, if they feel that an activity is unsafe, they could suggest another fun alternative.

Get to know your child’s friends

Get to know your child’s friends and encourage your child to invite their friends to visit your home. Spend time talking to your child about their relationships at school and if you have any concerns you can always ask their teacher for advice. It is important to get to know their friends family too, so that you can discuss any fallouts.

Encourage your child to celebrate diversity

Teaching your child to be proud of their individuality and to celebrate diversity will help them to resist peer pressure. Peer pressure works by making an individual feel wrong or unaccepted for not following along. Explain to your child that we don’t all have to be the same or do the same things in order to fit in.