Question

What do you think could be done to reduce peer pressure and the chances of people doing things that are dangerous?

Answer 1

All children experience peer pressure and quite often give in to it. Parents may not be able to protect their children from experiencing peer pressure, but they can take several steps to minimize its effects. This include the following .

1.Parents should develop a close relationship with their children: Children who have close relationships with their parents are more likely to identify with them and work to please their parents. Children who have close relationships with their parents are also much more likely to come to their parents when they are having problems.

2. Help children understand peer pressure: Children who understand the process of peer pressure are much better in standing up to peer pressure.

3. Planning regular and frequent family activities: Children who spend a lot of quality time with their families are less likely to give in to peer pressure. Also parents who spend regularly scheduled time with their children participating in fun activities will have more opportunity to develop close relationships with their children.

4.Encouraging friendships with positive role models: Parents should encourage their children to develop and maintain friendships with children who have positive qualities.

5. Get to know your children's friends and their parents: Parents should make an effort to spend time with their children's friends to get to know them. They should also make an attempt to get to know their children's friends' parents.

6.Know where your children are and what they are doing: When children are at home, parents should supervise their activities. When children are not at home, parents should make an effort to know where their children are, who they are with, and what they are doing.

7. Encourage individuality and independence. Parents should encourage their children's individuality and independence. One of the best ways to do this is for parents to model or demonstrate these behaviors. Parents who resist pressure from their own peers are teaching their children a valuable lesson.

8.Teaching assertiveness: Parents should teach their children how to stand up for what they believe in. Parents can do this by using role-playing. Role-playing involves practicing different responses to various situations. This gives children a chance to practice saying no to their peers. Parents can also teach their children how to problem solve when they are faced with peer pressure, perhaps by suggesting alternative activities.

9. Providing discipline: When children give in to peer pressure and do something inappropriate, or get into trouble with a bad companion, parents should apply natural consequences or another form of punishment.