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Rise Above
Peer Pressure
Today's teenagers live in a far more complex and demanding society than anything many of us older adults have experienced. We generally did not face pressure to use drugs, but nowadays a dizzying array of illegal substances can be found in and around every high school. Although we faced temptations to misuse alcohol and smoke, as do teens today, entertainment wasn't drenched in violence and moral perversion as it is today. Personal computers, cable television and movies with "adult" themes (in the modern sense) were almost nonexistent. Life was simpler and less demanding.
In one simple way, though, teens today are like teens of past generations. We all experience this common link: a desire to be accepted by our peer group. This is normal for people of all age-groups, but it's especially powerful when one is young.
Adults reading this know how you teens feel. We also went through this experience. Significantly, studies show that parents still exert the biggest influence on your lives when it comes to morals and goals. We dare not let you down. But peer pressure still exists. How can youth deal with it?
In years past I often heard this sincere question in a variety of ways: "I don't understand myself-why I give in to something other kids are doing that I know isn't good. I have trouble resisting. What can I do that will help me and my friends?" If you have this question, there are steps you can take that can help improve your life in and out of your peer group.
Let's face it. Teens' peer pressure is intensified by the electronic and print media. Movies, TV and music broadcast unspeakable acts of violence, sex and profanity, and some young people, looking for their day in the sun, pick up on those concepts and attempt to recreate them. It's a difficult age for the entire family, but even more so for teens. Let me offer a strategy that I've offered to teens over the years. It helped others. It might help you.
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