Originally published Wednesday, 25 September 2013.
Peer pressure is a term that typically refers to the pressure that teens, tweens and kid’s face. However, feeling pressured by our peers is a concept that in one way or another we as parents and adults can relate to as well. Think about it:
Should we discipline like them? Should I work like him? Should I dress like her?
…we’ve all been there.
Our prayer is that as your daughter(s) matures, her confidence in Christ will continue to grow and the decision-making skills you are installing now will live beyond grade school.
In the Fall Issue of For Girls Like You, we included 4 tips to help our girls handle peer pressure God’s way. You can preview that here. A list of tips for our girls to use is a great tool to get them thinking and it was our honor to provide it, but what she'll value even more than that is to come home to a parent that understands, sympathizes and gives her the extra push she needs to make healthy decisions.
Here are a few tips to help you as you help your girl(s) navigate through the pressure she may be facing with her peers.
1. Be available to listen and to talk to her often and about everything. Help her to know that there is no conversation that she cannot have with you. And assure her that she has your attention when she needs it…phone down, tv off and little sisters in bed (at least that’s what it looks like in my house!)
2. Know her friends. As our girls get older it may seem harder to stay up-to-date with friendships. However, it is so important that we do. Make it a point to get to know the people your daughter spends the majority of her time with. Invite friends over, offer to drive when there’s an outing, and engage with them!
3. Role-play and practice reality based scenarios with her. This may seem silly and it is! Which is also why it can be a lot of fun. Role-playing opens the door wide open for conversation. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to learn what she already knows, see areas that need correction and impress values that need reinforcement.
4. Teach her to apply God’s Word. Whether she comes to you upset, confused, excited or anxious…point her to Christ. Reinforce God’s Word and biblical principles in every situation. It’s sometimes hard for our young girls to make the connection between the memory verse from devotions and the real life situations on the playground, so be on the lookout for opportunities to cross her life experience with biblical truth.
Whether these are new ideas or reminders, I pray that our girls are a light that shines bright and bold in our world today and tomorrow.
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