Summary: What Is Peer Pressure? In its most basic form peer pressure is the push to conform to those in a group in which you belong or want to belong. It can be pressure to change your beliefs, values, behaviors, attitudes or appearance. We find this in all walks of life but it would seem because our children/teens are still searching to define who they are we can see the most extreme forms of peer pressure in the teen culture. The desire to belong or fit in a group has caused some teens to do some unbelievable things, from totally changing their outward appearance to the unthinkable. Some parents are left scratching their head wondering what happened? The topic this week will help to arm parents in preparing their children to be strong in the face of peer pressure. Not only in resisting temptation but resisting the pressure to do things that may have life long consequences simply to fit in. Lastly, I would like to leave you with an illustration that I used countless times with the girls in the residential program to show how imperative it is to arm our kids to deal with these pressures. I would have one girl stand on a chair and have another face her and hold her hands. The girl standing up on the chair would be instructed to pull the other girl up onto the chair with her. This would be very difficult if not impossible. However, it would be very easy for the girl in the lower position to pull the first girl off the chair. This is how peer pressure is, unless we are taking the time to prepare our kids. It will be very easy for a group of kids to “pull them down†off their foundation unless we are taking the time make sure our children are rooted strongly.  Listen to today’s podcast for more insight on the topic of peer pressure. Â
