Crime committed by teenagers can be prevented by talking to them about the negative impact of peer pressure and crime. Here is how to prevent peer pressure and crime by talking to your teen. When we look around we find that criminal activity that are influenced by peer pressure and committed by teenagers are on a rise in today’s society. This is alarming and needs multi-faceted approach to effectively prevent or counter it. Talking to your teen about the varied impact of peer pressure and its propensity to lead to crimes is very important. First of all, get a clear understanding of what is peer pressure. Do not assume that a teen is liable to commit a crime in any environment. Peer pressure is when the person is made to feel the compulsion of engaging and indulging in certain activities in order to feel accepted in the group, or to fit in. Parents can have great influence on how the teen develops a notion of right and wrong behaviour. Here are some ways that you can talk about peer pressure and crime: In this articlePaint a Clear Picture of RealityShare ExperiencesShow Respect to Your Teens’ Point Of View Focus On Staying SafeMake Your Expectations ClearPaint a Clear Picture of Reality Shying away from reality will not help the kid cope and deal with an environment that is far from the utopian one. It is therefore advisable to make the teen aware that violence, drugs, alcohol and gangs are some grim realities of life. There are subjects rather people who resort to them, but these are wrong and need to be shunned for a healthy life and for the good of the society as a whole. Tell the teen that he might encounter peer groups that engage in such activities and they need to deal with it and adopt ways and mechanisms so that they can counter that pressure from influencing his life and activities. Share Experiences When certain activities and incidents are related, it is easier for a teen or a young mind to understand the impact of the criminal activity. You can share your personal experiences in some crime activities that you have witnessed yourself or by some acquaintance and relate the harmful impact of it on the individual or people related to him. This will help the teen gauge how bad and undesirable it is to get involved or associated with crimes. Show Respect to Your Teens’ Point Of View Your teen is an individual and while you communicate with him on any serious issue such as peer pressure and crime, you need to show your respect by listening to their ideas too. You may or may not validate their opinion and ideas, but you can correct them only when you listen to them patiently. You cannot assume that they have a wrong notion even before being aware of their opinion. Once you adopt this approach, you will notice that the teen will be more open to your suggestions and directives. Focus On Staying Safe You may require repeating certain points and emphasising on staying safe. But ensure that you do not sound obsessive or nagging; the teen must feel that you are concerned and not intrusive or trying to be a control freak. Preventing crime and violence is your priority and your conversations should focus on this aspect. Make Your Expectations Clear This is also about making the teen aware of the family values and the type of activity and behaviour that are expected from him. This is a part of conditioning whereby you instil a behaviour code, which the teen feels he has to abide by, often unconsciously. Finally, it is through effective parenting that you can help prevent peer pressure and crime. Lead by example, be a positive role model to your teen and ensure that the environment is also a positive. Keep an eye for behaviours that are potentially harmful, read the signs well. If anything is amiss, have an open chat with your teen.
Crime committed by teenagers can be prevented by talking to them about the negative impact of peer pressure and crime. Here is how to prevent peer pressure and crime by talking to your teen. When we look around we find that criminal activity that are influenced by
peer pressure and committed by teenagers are on a rise in today’s society. This is alarming and needs multi-faceted approach to effectively prevent or counter it. Talking to your
teen about the varied impact of peer pressure and its propensity to lead to crimes is very important.
First of all, get a clear understanding of what is peer pressure. Do not assume that a teen is liable to commit a crime in any environment. Peer pressure is when the person is made to feel the compulsion of engaging and indulging in certain activities in order to feel accepted in the group, or to fit in. Parents can have great influence on how the teen develops a notion of right and wrong behaviour. Here are some ways that you can talk about peer pressure and crime:
Paint a Clear Picture of Reality
Shying away from reality will not help the kid cope and deal with an environment that is far from the utopian one. It is therefore advisable to make the teen aware that violence, drugs, alcohol and gangs are some grim realities of life. There are subjects rather people who resort to them, but these are wrong and need to be shunned for a healthy life and for the good of the society as a whole. Tell the teen that he might encounter peer groups that engage in such activities and they need to deal with it and adopt ways and mechanisms so that they can counter that pressure from influencing his life and activities.
Share Experiences
When certain activities and incidents are related, it is easier for a teen or a young mind to understand the impact of the criminal activity. You can share your personal experiences in some crime activities that you have witnessed yourself or by some acquaintance and relate the harmful impact of it on the individual or people related to him. This will help the teen gauge how bad and undesirable it is to get involved or associated with crimes.
Show Respect to Your Teens’ Point Of View
Your teen is an individual and while you communicate with him on any serious issue such as peer pressure and crime, you need to show your respect by listening to their ideas too. You may or may not validate their opinion and ideas, but you can correct them only when you listen to them patiently. You cannot assume that they have a wrong notion even before being aware of their opinion. Once you adopt this approach, you will notice that the teen will be more open to your suggestions and directives.
Focus On Staying Safe
You may require repeating certain points and emphasising on staying safe. But ensure that you do not sound obsessive or nagging; the teen must feel that you are concerned and not intrusive or trying to be a control freak. Preventing crime and violence is your priority and your conversations should focus on this aspect.
Make Your Expectations Clear
This is also about making the teen aware of the family values and the type of activity and behaviour that are expected from him. This is a part of conditioning whereby you instil a behaviour code, which the teen feels he has to abide by, often unconsciously.
Finally, it is through effective parenting that you can help prevent peer pressure and crime. Lead by example, be a positive role model to your teen and ensure that the environment is also a positive. Keep an eye for behaviours that are potentially harmful, read the signs well. If anything is amiss, have an open chat with your teen.
