Peer pressure is a very difficult thing for any teenager to deal with and it is a great part of fitting in and being part of the in crowd. Every generation goes through exactly the same thing and when your son or daughter sees what their friends are doing and they decide that this is something that they want to do as well, then this is referred to as peer pressure. They will give you the answer that everybody is doing it and so why can’t I do it as well. What is deemed cool or trendy is decided by them and the unfortunate thing is that many teenagers believe that it is cool to drink, smoke, take drugs and to not go to school.
It’s all about creating values for your teenagers and as a parent you have a lot of responsibility to put them on the straight and narrow and try to get them involved in activities where you want them to be meeting with like-minded people. The unfortunate thing is that many teenagers rebel and so parents need to start looking into drug rehab centers in Texas because everything has got beyond them and they need external help. This is a very important stage of your child’s life and common sense doesn’t always prevail. They make decisions based on their emotions and on their hormones, and sometimes it is a very questionable decision. As a parent you should be aware of the most common activities that teenagers are peer pressured into doing and the following are just some of them.
- Trying drugs – Drugs are very readily available in today’s modern society and so it is likely that your team will be exposed to them at one point or another. It might be that friends are not openly pushing drugs in your teens face but the fact that they are easily and readily available puts enough pressure on them as it is. Drugs are commonly acceptable in most teen circles and you’re seen as a bit of a nerd if you don’t try some. They are often in broken relationships that lead to drug use.
- Drinking alcohol – Even though the law states that you must be 20 in order to be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage, teenagers are drinking beer and other spirits from a much younger age. Again, it is readily available and now that manufacturers are making alcohol in such flavours as strawberry and apple, it isn’t making it any easier for teenagers to say no.
- Sexual activity – The Internet is readily available to all children nowadays and even though parents try to put a lock on the phone so that they cannot look at such websites, kids always find a way around. This means that they are introduced to sex at a much younger age and so this leads to promiscuity in their social circles.
These are just three of the most common activities that teenagers are pressured into doing and believe me when I tell you, that there are numerous more. As a parent, you need to do everything that you can to steer your children away from such temptation.