Anjali
Posts : 111
Join date : 2013-07-08
 |  Subject: 5 Tips to Harness the Power of Positive Peer Pressure to Make a Better Teen  Thu Aug 01, 2013 2:43 pm | |
| . 5 Tips to Harness the Power of Positive Peer Pressure to Make a Better Teen As children grow, they begin to spend more time with their friends and peers. The friendships that form during these teen years are more complex as well. In addition, teens always strive to fit into a group. It is thus no wonder that they get influenced by such groups. At times, such influences can be hurtful or illegal too. However, a lot is always happening in a teenager’s life. Be it school, relationships or even body changes. This makes them want to conform to the behaviour of their chosen group, even if it is risky.
It is here that the role of a parent comes in. This is because, even if we are talking about peer pressure, parental influence continues to be the strongest. Hence a positive relationship between the child and the parent eventually help the child to develop a healthy lifestyle. As parents, you can:
Teach your child not be afraid to speak up to believe in themselves
Help them to assess the risks involved and applaud them if they take the right decision
Encourage them to share a positive relationship with other adults like relatives and teachers
Teens tend to stick to peers similar to them. So help them to mix with diverse peer groups like a different gender, strata and ethnicity
This said, not all peer pressure on teenagers is bad. There are a number of situations where it becomes a positive peer influence on the teenager. Below are five such situations.
Helps to Battle Obesity
If you ask your teen daughter to stop eating junk food and exercise instead, you are sure to face resistance. However, if she sees one of her friends doing the same, the task will be achieved easily. This is known as a positive peer influence. As a parent, encourage her to form friendships with those who have healthier eating and lifestyle habits. Find out about workshops or after school activities where similar aged children are attending such issues.
Helps to Study Harder
Positive peer pressure can help a child academically. Here are few situations:
During tests at school, with a few exceptions, almost all follow the rules of being quiet and not cheating.
A peer who is your child’s close friend will help her with her studies and correct her mistakes too.
When your child sees that her friend from the peer group is studying hard to get into a good school or college she is likely to follow suit.
While we are talking about peer pressure in all these cases, we can see that it is a positive influence on the child. It instils a sense of competition within her and motivates her to work harder.
Helps to become Interested in Extra Curricular Activities
Schools have a lot of extracurricular activities that a student can take part in. This ranges from interschool competitions like sports, music and dance to nature clubs, scouts and various youth volunteer activities. Your child might not be initially inclined to participating. This could be due to fear of failure in completions or even a general lack of interest. However, when she sees that her group is showing interest then she is also likely to mirror them. That is the positive influence of peer pressure. Do encourage her, for, it will:
Boost to her confidence
She will also learn more
Improve her sportsman spirit
Spend her free time more productively
Helps to Confirm to Rules
It is true that negative peer pressure on teenagers often makes them do things that are against the norm. For example, drugs, drinking and cheating in examinations. However, positive peer pressure makes them conform to rules as well. Examples: respecting elders, praying, playing sports fairly and helping with housework, etc.. As a parent, you need to watch the kind of peer group that she is mixing with and exert your influence to help her choose the right one.
Increases Participation in Social Services
Encourage your child to join student groups that are promoting a good cause. These could be youth volunteer groups against drugs and drinking or even NGOs working towards helping the aged and slum children. Even if she does not know anyone in these groups initially, she gradually will. When children see others of their age and upbringing doing a certain activity, they also begin to take interest in it. | |
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