Peer group is a social group of people who have similarities in a particular thing, which might be age, sex, profession, location, etc. A peer group of a kid will point out towards its playmates or its class mates in school or group of friends, who will be of the similar age group. Interaction of a kid with its peer group is extremely beneficial in his or her healthy development and sense of socializing. But there are certain times too, when the peer pressure can cast a negative influence on the kid and he or she might face extreme mental pressure and unnecessary stress in trying to cope up with such a pressure. This is the phase that comes in the life of a kid when it reaches its teenage.
This transitional phase in the life of a kid often makes him or her secluded from the parents, who, on the other hand, find it extremely difficult to determine if the peer pressure is a negative one or a positive one. Some of the very obvious negative peer pressures often make kids adopt unwanted habits like early smoking, drinking, drugs, sexual experimentation, stealing, etc. which retard their healthy growth. Thus, it is extremely vital for parents to find out the nature of a kid’s peer pressure. Here are a few tips to identify if the peer pressure is influencing your kid or pressurizing and ways to make the kid handle them:
Study the kid’s behavior
In order to find out what is really playing inside the mind of our kid, it is vital to study and scrutinize your kid’s behavior. This can only be done if you have a close proximity with your kid. If you find that all of a sudden your kid is trying to be secretive or finding instances to avoid coming in confrontation with you without any obvious reason that you can think of, then be alarmed that something negative might be at play. This is a situation where the kid is aware that whatever he or she is doing is not recommended by you or against the protocols of his or her family.
Your role in such a situation will be to increase your communication with your kid. Try to be his or her friend on whom the kid can rely upon without any fear. Help him or her to open up to you so that you can know and identify the peer pressure and assist the child in accepting the good and rejecting the bad.
Small mistakes teach lessons
Your kid, in order to get accepted in his or her peer group, might try to do something which is very unnatural to the child, which will surely attract your attention He or she might start dressing up in a way never done before. The kid might even try to grasp a habit which he or she finds really pressurizing to get into. For instance, a kid, who do not have a knack for movies, but thinks it obvious to get accepted within a particular peer group, might struggle and get tensed in trying to cope up with this tremendous pressure. This can even distract his or her concentration from studies too.
As parents your role do not end in scolding or being physical with the kid in order to make him or her understand that whatever the child is doing is sheer foolishness. Think otherwise. Talk it out with your kid in a cooperative and polite manner and try to get to an amicable solution. Teach the kid certain cardinal things like the negative consequences of peer pressure, good and bad peer group and its influences, etc. In case the kid commits anything wrong in the process, do not pounce on him or her. The kid will himself or herself learn from the mistakes, which will save the child from bigger mistakes.
Treat your kid as a matured person
If you sometimes see your child feeling left out or going through stress and depression,then be obvious that it can be an effect of peer pressure, which is being rather pressurizing for the kid than influencing. The child might try to seclude himself or herself, try to be alone, etc. This can be both an effect of negative peer pressure or a positive one, which is creating stress in the mind of the kid.
Do not ignore the feelings of the kid altogether. Rather, treat the kid as a matured person and comfort him or her by saying things like, things will change for the better, it is better not to loose confidence, etc. These words of compassion might instill courage and confidence in the kid and he or she will come out of the stress.
