When I think about, I realized that I was blessed with a great childhood with family that protected and supported me through thick and thin. Growing up with an older brother, he always made sure I stayed out of trouble and gave me advice on dealing with a number of situations. These situations primarily focused on encounters with strangers who seemed suspicious, pressure from my friends, and other dangers that young adolescents would typically face. Going a bit specific and personal, I do remember a time in junior high where I was pressured to drive my mom's car, without having a license or permit. It was actually a funny story so bear with me. My friends were over at my house for a sleepover and I clearly remember them daring me to take them to Sonic and they would pay for me. Since the whole house was asleep, I decided hey why not? Sonic was literally two seconds away. Well, I barely made it out of my street because I hit my neighbors' mailbox...twice. Thankfully, there wasn't much physical damage, but I definitely experienced some consequences that made me realize it could have been life-threatening. Not only was I 13, I also took the car without permission at a time that drunk driver's are out and about. Moral of the story is that regardless of your good intentions, peer pressure could definitely lead to a detrimental scenario.
If you would like to share any stories feel free to :D
Until next time, good luck on papers and exams everyone! The semester is almost over!
I enjoyed reading this because I think that peer pressure is often overlooked. I think most people have experienced peer pressure on some level, even if it's not something huge. Fortunately, many kids end up like you did, unharmed. But sometimes young kids, typically middle school aged, do not think through things clearly and do something that they really know is unsafe.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I did laugh at your story. It's one of those that you have to think, "One day I'll look back on this and laugh." As the oldest of five I have steered my younger siblings from some bad situations like how to handle mean kids at school. My siblings are 17, 13, 8, and 7 so the range of peer pressure is vast, but the scenarios always seem to be similar in nature. I always try to give the best advice without trying to learn from my mistakes, but their own. It's good to see that you had a brother to guide you, but were still able to learn from your own mistakes. :)
ReplyDeleteSara thank you for sharing you story! It is one that I think most people can understand how it is so easy to be pressured into something like that. I know for my personally one of my friends drove her mom's car to my house before she had her license or permit. I was really freaked out and didn't want to get in trouble, but at the same time I hopped into the car with her without thinking of the consequences. I'm glad you ended up safe!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. Peer pressure happens every single day. You and your friends are lucky that you did not get into a serious accident, while others are not so lucky. Peer pressure is talked about a lot in school, but it seems to not go away.
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