How to Combat Peer Pressure

Although peer pressure can play a positive role in your child's life -- such as when she strives to become an ace student like her best friend -- it can also become a problem. The pediatric professionals at the KidsHealth website note that having an internal sense of strength and self-confidence can help children to combat the negative aspects of peer pressure. Teaching your child how to say "no" and walk away from those who are pressuring her to engage in unwanted behaviors -- such as drinking alcohol, using drugs or having risky sex -- is key to helping her grow up and develop in a healthy way.

Instructions

    • 1

      Keep the lines of communication open. Create an open sense of communication that encourages your child to come to you with difficult issues.

    • 2

      Help your child to choose his friends wisely. Tell him he shouldn't associate with classmates or other kids who are putting pressure on him to so something he doesn't feel comfortable with.

    • 3

      Boost your child's self-confidence. Provide your child with plenty of opportunities to achieve goals and master new skills -- such as riding a bike or making dinner for the family. Offer praise when it's warranted and appropriate. For example, when your fifth-grader gets an A on her social studies test, praise both her efforts in studying and the end result.

    • 4

      Role play saying "no." Create a mock peer pressure scenario in which you play a friend who is trying to get your child to do something he knows is wrong, such as skipping school or smoking. Act out the scene, providing your child with ideas on how to say "no" or walk away from a sticky situation.

    • 5

      Let your child know it's perfectly acceptable to act assertively in the face of peer pressure. Instruct her to show firmness when saying "no."

    • 6

      Give your child the facts and information on issues that his friends may pressure him to get involved with. For example, let your tween know that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that more than half of the new sexually transmitted disease cases each year -- over nine million -- are in teens and young adults. Talk to your child about the facts of risky behaviors -- such as unprotected sex, drinking alcohol, smoking or using drugs -- and give him a real reason to stay strong when his peers pressure him.

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