This past weekend, Luke overheard me talking to his best friend's mother. She told me Luke's best friend is no longer wearing pull-ups at night. I never pushed Luke to give up the nighttime pull-ups, since, even with pull-ups, he still wets the bed occasionally. But, that night, Luke informed me that he wants to wear underpants to bed now. Three nights later, Luke has not wet the bed and is proud to be as "big a boy" as his best friend.
Experts say there is good and bad peer pressure: "The desire to be accepted by peers may drive some preschoolers to do things they wouldn't dream of doing for their parents. Some 3 and 4-year-olds, for instance, have been known to eat broccoli, put away their toys, and take naps, simply because that's what their friends do. You, however, may have much less luck when it comes time to clean up the playroom. The lesson here for moms and dads? Peers matter. So: be grateful for all the good influences your child's friends have on her behavior, development, eating habits, and sleeping patterns."
But, we also have witnessed the negative effects of peer pressure on Luke. He's had to endure several time-outs, after calling his sister an "idiot," a term he learned from an older neighborhood friend. He likes to pretend he is a superhero and "kill" people, something he's likely learned on the schoolyard since we don't allow him to watch violent cartoons.
In addressing the negative influences of peer pressure, it's important that parents convey strong and clear values and openly discuss why certain behavior is not acceptable. I tried to explain that, while other people may call each other "idiots," it is not acceptable in our home and, if Luke kept saying that, he would be punished (usually threatening to take away a favorite toy does the trick!).
Happy parenting!
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