Peer Pressure…A consistent presence in our lives….but something we can deal with.

By: Avery Ross, Editor

Peer pressure is something we kids see in the movies, on TV, read about  in books and magazines, but it’s something we think could never really happen to us in our lives. The truth is it happens to everyone at one time or another. No matter how you look, how popular you are or how self confident you are, peer pressure affects everyone. At one time or another you’ve probably felt that you’re not good enough because you don’t look the same as someone, or you’re not smart enough because you didn’t get the same mark on a math test. Some of us that are so affected by peer pressure walk around thinking that the only way to have and keep friends is to become nothing more than a clone of this friend.  

This feeling is unavoidable and something that will follow everyone through their lives as students and as they go into the working world.  A grade 8 student, Jessica Truman says, “Peer pressure has influenced some of my decisions, and changed the choices I would make. Instead of making a decision for myself, I started to make them to please my friends, and end up committed to things I didn’t want to do. It’s so hard to make decisions in the first place, but making one that isn’t right for you will only complicate your life, make you unhappy and might not be the smartest one to keep your “friendship”.” 

Peer pressure is a hard part of life. Ben Hayward, another grade 8 said,  “peer pressure is a just a fact of life, you have to find your own way to deal with it.” Despite the consistent presence of peer pressure in their lives, some people have found their way. Kayla Johnson found her way. “I don’t care what people say about me, or how I look”.  To avoid peer pressure, Jessica Truman likes to “stay with a group of really good friends, as there’s safety in numbers. The people pressuring you will be less likely to approach you if you are with friends, and even if they do come, and you are commented on, there are people there that don’t care about the things that were said.”  

There are no books, manuals or internet sites that will help the average kid to solve the problem of peer pressure. The real answer lies inside of all of us. Being proud of who you are and of your accomplishments (even the small ones) is the way to develop positive self esteem. If you have this inside of you you are not going to lose sleep or stress over other people’s opinions of you; Think positive, be proud of who you are and what you believe in. Being yourself and being proud of it is your best defence!