What does peer pressure really do to teens? Alcoholism? Drug abuse? Underage sex?

I wanted to talk about it. Damn it. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. I wanted to shout about it. But all I could do was whisper, “I’m fine.”

The Oxytonics

When parents think about high school they think about academics,stages of maturity, and overall how their children are going to grow. What some parents just do not seem to get is that at this stage in time from freshman year to senior year students are trying to make a name for themselves. Weather it be a good one for example valedictorian or if students are going for a bad reputation like ‘how many fights can I get into before I leave’, or ‘what’s the fastest way to get expelled’ even ‘let me just be a dropout’. The one thing all students have in common despite who they leave as afterwards is that all of them expect something it could be drugs it could be sex or becoming popular being part of the ‘in-crowd’. All of these children expect something which leads to them being vulnerable to peer influence. That then leads students in to all these questionable things. Even if they don’t want to but their friends are all doing it. If they see something everyday like if it’s normal then obviously the children are going to be curious but honestly parents haven’t you been pressured back then too?

Parents want the best for their children that’s to be expected encouraging them to ‘explore’, but some don’t realize what this lose term is actually giving them permission to do. Parents might think their encouraging good behavior with this, since obviously their children knew what is permitted and not permitted but in reality they don’t. The teenage years are a time where children are flexible and flimsy mentally and emotionally.

It is very easy to change their minds. The teenage years are a time of transition from childhood into adulthood. They may also feel overwhelmed by the emotional and physical changes they are going through. At the same time, teens may be facing a number of pressures such as fitting in at school and among friends. Participating as a member of the family. Working a part-time job.Preparing for college or their next step in life after high school. Some students will crumble under the pressure of trying to keep up with these standards and it leaves them vulnerable to negative influence. Underage drug abuse being a very common and popular among a lot of young teens. Although it’s not only just a coping method student also can do it because it looks cool and ‘everybody’s doing it so what’s the big problem’.

This is where wanting to fit in comes into play. There are many reasons why teens might use drugs. Some common reasons include: To fit in. Social status is very important to teens. Your teen may do drugs in an attempt to fit in with friends or impress a new group of kids. To be social. Some teens use drugs because it lowers their inhibitions and makes them more comfortable socially. To deal with life changes. Change is not easy for anyone. Some teens turn to drugs to deal with situations such as moving, starting at a new school, puberty, or going through their parents’ divorce. To ease pain and anxiety. Teens may use drugs to deal with problems with family, friends, school, mental health, or self-esteem. Fitting in is all ways going to come up when talking about peer pressure parents may console or get angry at their children for turning to drugs or sex or even violence, but it’s not going to help them by getting yelled at. If anything it makes it worse.

Teens don’t want to hear that their parents don’t like their decisions. They don’t want their parents to judge them they just want to be like everybody else tries to be they want to be okay. Just as they are figuring out who they are, we, as parents, struggle to understand the child we once thought we knew inside out. But the thing is, that is what they need from us most of all; to understand. This was written due to the fact that this is so common and parents really need an inside view of what’s it’s like, and given that I’m a teenager I thought let’s talk about it.