When I say "peer pressure," I can feel you mentally side-eyeing me, thinking, Kay, Mom, I'm pretty sure I learned how to say no when I was in diapers. I hear you! But peer pressure isn't always Creepy Guy Trying To Shove Cigarette In Your Face.
Sometimes it's your BFF trying something you're pretty sure is illegal -- and urging you to join. Sometimes it's your whole crew bashing on something you secretly love. And you're just hoping no one notices the look on your face as you get stuck in your head with two thoughts: (1) Is this real life, and (2) What the what am I supposed to do now?
That's what we cover in Choices: We break down the most common ways you might be pulled under the Friendfluence, and how to sidestep sticky situations without making things weird. And with the help of Scholastic's Choices mag and our hilarious teens at the YMCA of New York, we've put together a video to tell you exactly what to say (literally, word for word!) when you're put on the spot.
Not sure how to push back on a pressure-y friend? Want to see how our teens fared when put to the Friendfluence test? Check out the video below -- though I hope no one you meet is as creepy/awful/bad as the "Friendfluencers" I pretend to be -- and share this with anyone who might be feeling the same struggle. You'll want to stop the stress before it gets scary: Read about how peer pressure can become dangerous, or even deadly, in our "The Danger Lurking in Just One Drink" feature for this month's issue of Choices magazine.
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