Benadryl Challenge
I remember how, as a kid, our little neighborhood group of peers would engage each other in dares and double-dares. Taking the dare offered a way to fit in while avoiding being called things like a chicken. In today’s world,…
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Peer Pressure and Smoking
I recently had a grandmother tell me about an uncomfortable conversation she had with her elementary-aged grandson. Prompted by watching a TV news story on the current teen vaping epidemic, the inquisitive boy had asked grandma whether she had ever…
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Today’s Peer Pressure
Peer pressure has always been a part of the adolescent experience. While peer pressure exists for people of all ages, it reaches its zenith during the teen years. One significant difference between today’s peer pressure and the kind that took…
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Kids Greatest Pressures
Over the course of my three decades studying youth culture, I’ve regularly asked parents about what they think are the greatest pressures facing teenagers today. Typically, parents will cite things like peer pressure, drinking, and bullying. What parents might not…
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