Prepare Your Mentee to Handle Peer Pressure

What comes to mind when you think of peer pressure? Kids drinking, smoking or taking other risks?
The truth is that peer pressure can be both positive and negative. Kids encourage peers to do good things (such as volunteer) and bad things (such as drugs).

The bottom line is that all peer pressure requires kids to make a decision: “Should I do what others want me to do?”



Here are ways to prepare your mentee to make good choices:

• Stick to your beliefs. Teens look for moral guidance from their parents and mentors—even when it seems most unlikely. A teen may curse or be defiant just to test values. By disapproving of this, you reinforce the message, “This is not OK.”
• Discuss peer pressure. Often, kids let peers influence them because they want to be liked. But there are more important things than short-term popularity. Ask your mentee, “How would you feel if you gave in to negative peer pressure? Do real friends push you to do things you know are wrong?”
• Practice reacting. Role play peer-pressure situations with your mentee. For example, a classmate wants her to smoke, or a friend encourages her to join the soccer team. What would she do? Talk about ways to handle negative peer pressure, such as standing up for yourself, ignoring a peer or using humor to defuse a situation.
• Praise good decisions. Notice times when your mentee does the right thing. If she defends an unpopular student or pledges not to drink alcohol, support her. Say, “I admire what you did. That took courage.”

Adapted from Virginia Beach Public School's Parent Connection.