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The negative impact of peer pressure can be strong - but are there positive influences on your teenager’s life, too?
It’s quite normal for teenagers to want to copy their friends - whether it’s wearing certain clothes or listening to a particular type of music.
This can be hard for parents, who are used to having the major say in their child’s life, but it’s natural for young people to want to work out their own ideas, and in this regard, friendships become more important than ever.
For boys, friends act primarily as companions, people with whom they can play football, share a joke, hang out and listen to music. For girls, friends are people with whom they can share secrets and share worries and anxieties.
Many parents find friendships during adolescence worrying because they fear that friends will be a bad influence. But without them it’s more difficult to learn about social skills and relationships.
Try to accept the key role that friends play, and find ways of encouraging rather than disapproving of the friends that your child brings home.
Responding to peer pressure
Not all teenagers respond in the same way to peer-group pressure: young people aged 11 to 14 appear to be more influenced by it than older teenagers, for example.
Some teenagers are simply more independent than others and can withstand pressure better. Research indicates that teenagers who receive little support at home are the most likely to be influenced by the peer group.
Parents and older siblings can provide ammunition to help a young person withstand pressure from friends or from the wider peer group.
For example, there may be pressure to engage in sexual behaviour earlier than your teenager wants - but good sex education at school, and strong support from family, can help resist it.
A good friend (or more) is also crucial and can help your teen get things in perspective. In the best of cases they may also be able to stand up together against the peer group; two people can resist pressure much easier than one.
Becoming a dad will obviously change your life. Here are some ideas on preparing for the changes ahead of you.
Talk to other dads
Knowing that you’re going to be a dad is a momentous experience but one that brings lots of questions. Do I feel ready to be a father? How will we cope financially? Will the baby and my partner be OK?
These worries are all perfectly natural, but you may find that it helps to talk to other dads, or even your own, most of them will have asked themselves the same questions.
Antenatal classes
It’s a good idea to find out what you’re in for at the birth, so consider going to antenatal classes with your partner.
What to expect
Don’t expect your baby to arrive on its due date - it’s only a rough guide. Although 40 weeks is the norm, don’t be surprised if it happens a week or two earlier and going beyond 40 weeks is pretty common too.
It should be fairly obvious when your partner is in labour but signs to watch out for include:
Lower back pain sometimes accompanied by cramp
Contractions become more frequent and intense
Some blood-tinged discharge, which might include mucus
When labour starts
If her waters break there’s no need to panic. This is the release of the amniotic fluid from the womb prior to birth. Call the maternity unit and ask for their advice. Some will ask you to come in, others will just say keep in touch.
If you’re worried that things are happening much too fast, or if you have any other cause for concern, call an ambulance.
If you’re driving your partner to the hospital, it’s a good idea to plan the route in advance and make sure you have enough change for parking - you don’t want your car to be clamped while you’re in the labour ward.