The best way to handle peer pressure is to get involve in educating teens about it effect on them.Peer influence is when you choose to do something you wouldn’t otherwise do, because you want to feel accepted and valued by your friends. It isn’t just or always about doing something against your will.

You might hear the term ‘peer pressure’ used a lot. But peer influence is a better way to describe how teenagers’ behavior is shaped by wanting to feel they belong to a group of friends or peers.

Peer pressure influence can be positive both among teens and adult. For example, your child might be influenced to become more assertive, try new activities, or to get more involved with school. But it can be negative too. Some teenagers might choose to try things they normally wouldn’t be interested in, such as smoking or taking part in antisocial activities.

Peer influence might result in children:

• choosing the same clothes, hairstyle, jewelry as their friends

• listening to the same music or watching the same TV shows as their friends

• changing the way they talk, or the words they use

• breaking rules

• working harder at school, or not working as hard

• dating or taking part in sexual activities

• smoking or using of drugs Another best strategy in Coping well with peer influence is about getting the balance right between being yourself and fitting in with your group.

Some children are more likely to be negatively influenced by peers – for example, children who have poor self-esteem, who feel they have few friends, and who have special needs. These children might feel that the only way they’ll be included and accepted in social groups is by taking on the behavior, attitudes and look of a group.

Children who have strong self-esteem are better at resisting negative peer influence. If your child is happy with whom he is and the choices he makes, he’s less likely to be influenced by other people. Self-esteem helps in establishing good relationships, and positive friendships also help self-esteem. Helping your child manage peer pressure and peer influence is practically possible,

You might be worried that your child is being influenced too much by her peers, or that she’s selling out on her values (or yours) to fit in with her friends. You might also be concerned that your child won’t be able to say no if she gets pressure to try risky things, such as smoking. But listening to the same music and dressing in the same way as friends doesn’t necessary add up to doing the same antisocial or risky things.

Your child might do some things that his friends do, but not other things. You have an influence over your child too, especially over the longer term. If your child has a strong sense of himself and his values, it’s more likely he’ll know where to draw the line when it comes to assessing risks. Its to our own best interest to know that every teen deserves love and patience and also educating the mind of the child to help him or her build a wealth of self confidence in themselves. Peer pressure can be a great motivation when given proper guide on it.