Parental Tips for Peer Pressure

As parents, our desires for our children is to become a productive, prosperous citizen whose contribution to the world makes history (OK, that's my dream). That's hopefully their future, but presently our children's friends have hidden agendas for them as well. While we all dread puberty, peer pressure can be a nightmare. Peer pressure can be positive if your children are motivated by honorable peers to engage in positive activities. The pressures that most parents fear are from peers who are sexually promiscuous, drug and alcohol addicts, bullies, gang violence, and other disruptive behavior that our children are influenced to imitate. We have afterschool peer pressure as well including criminal activity. How can parents protect while influencing our children to say no to detrimental peer pressure without the ridiculing from their friends. There's a popular saying that parents can't befriend their children, well I oppose this belief.

Parents need to gain their children's trust while maintaining parental respect. I personally have family time, preferably at Bible study, I adjust my parental tone to a more friendlier tone using humor when appropriate and my children are totally bamboozled. I'll spark the conversation asking, what are kids doing for fun these days? And my children will tell all including the not so fun. I'll ask, does your friend ask you to engage (yes)? So then, I'd say, but remember God is watching you and does not want you to destroy your temple. I'll look sad and say, boy, those children may go to prison or overdose. I instill fear in them to flee from these peers as if they're Satan themselves. I remind them that a true friend would never ask them to commit any wrong act against God or their parents will. I entertain their peers at our home, and I escort to public events. I keep drug tests in my home and watch for signs of any drug use. There are many effective tools including making those parental conferences, befriending parents and staff, and volunteering at your children's learning institution to better observe your children.