16. Teach Children To Expect And Resist Peer Pressure
The Scriptures make clear that God considers spiritual infidelity as bad as marital infidelity. A Christian child who compromises his principles to fit in is being cowardly and must do better. You cannot “go along to get along.” But how should kids deal with peer pressure?
There are many ways, but here’s just one suggestion that applies to everybody regardless of age: Make it known at the beginning of the relationship that you are Christian. You should never hide your faith, anyway, you should be promoting it! That in itself prevents some harassment and helps you avoid awkward moments later when acquaintances ask you to do something immoral. (“You know that people like me don’t do stuff like that; why are you even asking?”) A war veteran once explained it this way to me, “you plant your flag on the hill and then defend it.”
Note that it is toughest to resist peer pressure when it is overwhelming, continuous, and long-term (like being trapped in a classroom for 12 years with childish, Godless bullies, for instance). It’s your job as a parent to make sure your children are not in those kinds of environments.
I found this article totally useless. I am a cradle Catholic. So were my parents. I went to Catholic grade school and high school, plus Catholic college. I took courses in philosophy and theology in college and had religion classes in elementary and secondary school.
Things have changed a lot since I was in school.
First, all my kids have special needs. There are no Catholic schools that provide special ed in my area so going to a Catholic school was out of the question. Second, Catholic schools are expensive. If you have more than one child, it is simply not affordable. So, no daily religious education. My parents didn’t spend time educating me in religion. We did go to church on Sunday, and that is what I did with my children.
Homeschooling was out of the question. I could not afford to give up my job, nor did I want to.
Staying in a violent marriage teaches children violence is OK. It is not better for the children to see a parent abused. It is not healthy for the children if one or both adults abuse the child.
Despite all precautions, one of my daughters got pregnant when she was 18. It had nothing to do with our instructions or home environment. She did not have an abortion. Instead, my husband and I have been raising her child since he was two years old.
I disagree with keeping children from forming friendships with other children who are not Catholic. Members of my family are not Catholic. Does that mean they are never to see or spend time with an aunt, uncle or cousin?
The article is unrealistic.
Some great points! These days schooling in general is far too expensive, and a violent marriage would inevitably have a worse result on the child’s and parents wellbeing. And don’t even get me started on this abortions debate! Despite what many think, it’s the woman’s choice, not that mans. My body, my choice.
When a man rapes and kills a woman, should he also say, “my body, my choice?” He could, you know. Basically, every bad thing somebody does to somebody else involves the perpetrator’s body and is the perpetrator’s choice. But, like abortion, there is more than one person involved, and their life is just as important.