Is your youngster reeling under peer pressure? Here’s how you can help
Do you see your kid getting easily influenced by his friends? Does he feel the pressure of being accepted in his social group and strives to fit in? This is what is known as peer pressure. This phenomenon is a reality in the lives of many youngsters and in some cases, it may be toxic as well. Peer pressure may be verbal, silent and even subconsciously driven. Generally perceived as a negative influence, peer pressure may turn out to have a positive influence too, bringing out the best in your child.
What does peer pressure look like?
Peer pressure manifests through visible behavioural changes. Withdrawing from parents and family members is one distinctive sign to watch out for. Kids and youngsters end up demanding almost everything that their peers have, imitate them and indulge in the activities their friends are into. For example, your child may want to buy a gadget just because her friends have it. She may end up demanding a vacation to Europe just because her friends have done so. Apart from these negative changes there can be a few positive developments triggered by peer pressure. For example, you youngster may want to join a gym because it will make him look ‘cool’ within his peer group. Though the reason hitting the treadmill isn’t what you would have wanted, the health perks of exercising are undeniable.
Impacts of peer pressure
Peer pressure can have serious impacts on your youngsters’ self-esteem and overall well-being. They try to meet the expectations of both friends and family, but can’t balance on most cases. Kids feel the pressure of looking, dressing, behaving and carrying themselves out a certain way, in order to please the peers and be at par with them. They set their own standards of success and failure to meet them leads to lack of self-confidence and frustration, affecting their academic performance and health too. Peer pressure also leads to the feeling of being left out and bullied. All these are likely to result in wrong life decisions.
How to support youngsters through peer pressure?
The most effective way to support youngsters through peer pressure is to approach them gently. Make an effort to know what’s going on in their lives, interests, and whether is something bothering them or not. The key is to be accepting towards them without being judgemental while controlling your reaction. Set a friendly tone and make your kid comfortable so that she can open up to you and validate her emotions. Also, make sure that you don’t come across as an interfering parent while having these conversations.
The goal is to reach a point of mutual understanding and solve problems together. It is about not dismissing the child’s opinions, discuss options, and support them through the process.