Q. Teenagers are highly influenced by their friends. There is a term called ‘peer pressure’ meaning that a child is forced to behave in a manner that is acceptable to his/her friends. These behaviors may range from simple dress codes to drinking and smoking. What can parents do to make sure that their children do not give in to peer pressure? Explain and/or give examples of situations.

Teenagers are very susceptible to the opinions or thoughts of their friends. They are very cautious and sensitive in expressing themselves since they constantly pay much attention to their friends’ judgement or reaction with regard to their behaviors. In this essay, I will explain what parents are able to make their kids be free from the influence from their peer.

Firstly, I believe the first thing parents have to do to provide a good advise for the difficulty ‘peer pressures’ their kids are encountering in their school is that they have to bolster their children’s confidence and self esteem. There are several researches to prove that people who are less influenced by their friends usually have a tendency to have a strong confidence and self esteem. For instance, when I was middle school student, I had a very low self esteem. My main decison criteria was always what my friends think and feel since I felt that my friends’ judgement seems to be superior to mine. Therefore, I always have to behave the way to make my friends happy.

Secondly, parents need to teach their kids that there is no way to please all people around them. Teenagers usually want to make a good relationship with any friends. In doing so, they have to keep considering their friends’ need and expectation. For example, when I realized that I cannot satisfy all my friends’ expectation and furthermore sometimes it require my sacrifice which certainly make me unhappy. Therefore I can be much more free after I dicide to abandon some of my friends’ judgements or thoughts.

In conclusion, it is quite meaningful for teenagers to realize what behaviors or thoughts can be acceptable to their peer. However parents also need to make an effort to teach their kids how to mingle with their friends without too much considering their friends’ expectation.