An experienced business consultant, Thomas Stoughton most recently served as the president of Business Consulting Incorporated. Over the years, he has supported dozens of civic, education, technology, and business development initiatives in Indiana. Dedicated to ending school violence, Thomas Stoughton played a role in the creation of the Indiana Department of Education Safety Academy, an entity that educated public school corporations about school safety.
An essential part of reducing school violence is helping students resist peer pressure to behave irresponsibly. Following are several things parents can do to help their children resist peer pressure:
– Teach them to say no. Saying “no” seems like a simple skill, but many adults have yet to master it. The reason saying “no” is so difficult is because standing up to a group, particularly a group of friends, requires a great deal of emotional and mental strength.
– Create a positive environment. All people need to feel loved and accepted, regardless of their age. Parents are tasked with providing their children with this love and showing them that home is a secure place in which to live. When kids experience more love at home, they are less likely to seek acceptance elsewhere and give in to peer pressure.
– Don’t fight over friends. Parents may not always like the friends their child picks. Still, they must remind their kid that they will always respect his or her choices in friends and love him or her regardless. Fighting over these friends almost never benefits the parent and instead breeds resentment that makes kids more susceptible to peer pressure.
Thomas Stoughton 