Ensanity! [Archive] - Boxing Forum

Curly Howard

02-24-2003, 07:19 PM

Come on! ALL of us are cutting math. Who wants to go take that quiz? We're going to take a walk and get lunch instead. Let's go!" says the kid in school with whom you're dying to be friends. Do you do what you know is right and go to math class, quiz and all? Or, do you give in and go with them?

As you grow older, you'll be faced with some challenging decisions. Some don't have a clear right or wrong answer, like should you play soccer or field hockey? Other decisions involve serious moral dilemmas, like whether to cut class, try cigarettes, or lie to your parents.

Making decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. When people your own age try to influence how you act, it's called peer pressure. It's something everyone has to deal with - even adults. Read on to find out about peer pressure and how to deal with it.

Defining Peer Pressure
A peer is a friend or acquaintance who is about the same age as you. You probably interact with peers in school, at your church or synagogue, on your soccer team, or in your tutoring session. Peers influence your life, whether you know it or not, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It's only human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.

Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system, or someone on the soccer team taught you a cool trick with the ball. You might admire a friend who is always a good sport and try to be more like her. Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone's reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other everyday.

Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, one kid in school might try to get another to cut class with him, your soccer friend might try to convince you to be mean to another player and never pass her the ball, or a kid in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift with him.