The Californian Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has put together a list of six things parents can do to help with the burden of peer pressure:
- Talk about drinking, drugs, and other harmful behaviour, maintaining open communication and understanding your children’s opinions.
- Talk about your children’s concerns and pressures.
- Help your child to prioritise important items and form achievement goals.
- Use TV and movies to start discussions about appropriate and inappropriate ways of responding to negative classmates and peer pressure.
- Invite your children’s friends home and understand the social groups they are in.
- Address concerns your children have quickly, ensuring they don’t develop into long-term problems. Consider your children’s point-of-view when resolving image issues.