Peer pressure is something that has always been and will always be. It is one thing that has caused many teenagers to make poor decisions; some decisions that have left some with lifelong regrets. As a parent, you need to understand that at different stages in the life of your child, they will be faced with peer pressure. No matter how protective you may be as a parent, you cannot always be there; there with them at school or the chats they have across multiple social media platforms.

In essence, it is your responsibility to mentally prepare them to be well equipped to manage all forms of peer pressure. When you do this, you put them in a position to know when to say no to what is wrong and most importantly, doing that without any form of shame. The mistake most parents make is the assumption that at some point in a child’s life, peer pressure declines.

You need to understand that peep pressure is almost a lifelong experience and the sooner you prepare your child for this, the better it is. While at secondary school, university, workplace and even when married with their clique of friends, they will face some form of peer pressure. Rather than prepare children to avoid bad friends or peer pressure, the best thing is to prepare children to be able to manage peer pressure.

What are some of the ways this can be achieved?

1. Pep talk with your child: One of the best things you can do as a parent is to create a healthy relationship with your child that allows easy communication. This makes it very easy for you to have a pep talk with your child. In such moments, you are able to nurture your child with the right morals which they should imbibe and grow in.
2. Buddy relationship with your child: It is very important that you are able to make your child see you as their buddy. This way, they can always feel free to share their worries and deepest secrets with you. This makes it easy for you to understand what they are going through and provide the needed advice for them.
3. Building a spiritual foundation for your child: Dear parent, it is important that you build a spiritual background for your child. Children need to know that they can relate to their Creator when in tough times. This helps them know that there is someone Supreme they can get answers from rather than falling prey to pressure from their peers.

Peer pressure is something that every child will face in their life and it only helps when parents learn to prepare their children for this. This shouldn’t be an avoidable topic at home but one that should be discussed extensively.