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Ten Steps to helping your teen deal with Peer Pressure

By: Catherine Ann Skinned knees, dirty bedrooms, sibling rivalry. As a mother of 5, I thought that I had encountered every possible problem, but I could not have been more wrong. These problems were so easy to deal with compared to what I am facing now.

As of a few days ago, I have a teenager! Now the problems are much more difficult. Raising young children is easy. If something goes wrong, all you have to do is give them a few kisses, a quick hug, and maybe a few minutes on mom or dad's lap.

The problems that face today's teens; drug abuse, alcohol abuse, teen sexuality, smoking, and pregnancy can't be solves so easily. These issues take a well thought out plan to solve.

When are kids are young we spend a lot of time teaching right from wrong. With teens, this teaching is much more important and needs to be practiced just as much. Here are some specific steps you can take to help your teen deal with peer pressure.

1. Who am I really?: One of the biggest things a teen is trying to figure out is who they really are. A lot of the information they use to figure this out comes from other teens. This may not be the best source of information for your teen to use. Spend time talking to your teen. Get the to visualize and verbalize who they want to be and what they believe in. You need to help them really understand what their belief system is and why it is important to them. Then, whenever they have to make a decision, have them ask themselves if their decision fits the picture of who they want to be.

2. What am I getting into?: Anytime your teen leaves the house make sure that both of you know what they are getting into. Make sure that you are both comfortable with what will be going on where they will be. If either of you aren't comfortable with the situation, make an excuse for your teen not to go.

3. Know what questions to ask: Make sure your teen has a good arsenal of questions to ask their friends to find out what will be going on. Who will there? Are there parents there? Will there be alcohol or drugs there? It might be embarrassing the first time for your teen, but make sure they understand that their safety is more important than a slight bit of embarrassment.

4. HELP is just a phone call away!!!!: Your teen may find himself or herself in a situation that they know you would not approve of. Make sure they know that they can call you for help no matter what situation they find themselves in. Your teen needs to feel confident that they can count on you when they need you most.

5. Practice, practice, practice: Role playing can seem a bit goofy at times, but it will really give your teens the necessary skills they need later. Pretend you are one of your teen's best friends and really try to convince him to do something he shouldn't. Be as persistent as another teen would and really put the pressure on your teen.

6. My mom would kill me!: If your teen doesn't want to look un-cool, have them make you the bad guy for not going some where. Most teens can identify with this and will give your teen a pass when this excuse is used.

7. What is a "real friend": Ask your teen why a good friend would ask them to do something that they were uncomfortable with. Your teen should examine the motives of that "friend". Maybe they really aren't a friend.

8. What is cool?: Ask your teen to make a list of 5 people from the real world that they think are cool. Chances are that they will choose someone from the music or entertainment industry (If the choose you, this is going to be easy). Find out from your teen what about this person is cool. Point out to your teen that these characteristics that your teen thinks are so cool weren't developed by doing what everyone else is doing. Being cool is about doing what you want to do, not following the crowd.

9. Wow, I rock!: Just before my first child was born, I read a quote that said "Nothing your child does today can be worth damaging his sense of self worth". Wow! What a powerful statement. Tell your kids how much you love them, how much you respect them, and how proud you are of them. Try this exercise. Have a neighbor over when your teen is around. Make sure your teen is in earshot and tell your neighbor how great your teen is. Make sure your teen "overhears" you. Make sure your teen gets their sense of self worth from you, not their friends.

10. Its family time: Your teens are going to have a ton of tough choices to make. They best way to help them make the right choices is to give them a strong foundation of love and support. Make sure that you block off time to spend as a family just having fun. It's a great time for your teen who can relax and just be themselves without having to worry about peer pressure.

One final thought. Both your teen and you are going to make mistakes. It is important to forgive each other when you do and stick to these guidelines.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

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