Peer Pressure

FamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript  

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The Deadly Traps of Adolescence

Day 2 of 10

Guest:                        Dennis and Barbara Rainey

From the series:       Peer Pressure

Bob:                And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Tuesday edition.  It's Tuesday, July 10th, and we thought we'd do something a little different today – we're broadcasting from outdoors here on the Montana prairie.  

Dennis:          It's beautiful out here, isn't it?

Bob:                It is beautiful.

Dennis:          Big Sky Country – man, the grass is so green and fresh, wow. 

Bob:                The wind is kind of warm.

(rumbling noise)

Dennis:          What's that?  What is that, Bob?  Did you hear that?

Bob:                I do hear that.

Dennis:          Bob, the ground's shaking.

Bob:                There's a little bit of a …

Dennis:          … feel it?

Bob:                Uh-huh, it's coming.  Look over on the – on the horizon!

Dennis:          Bob, it's a bunch of them.

Bob:                It's …

Both:               The herd!

Dennis:          That was kind of fun – we survived the buffalo stampede here.

Bob:                I'm not sure we'll survive the teenage stampede.

Dennis:          Oh, man.

Barbara:         It lasts a little longer.

Dennis:          It sure does.

Bob:                We are talking this week on the broadcast about some of the traps that are laid for teenagers, some of the deadlier traps that are laid for young people as they go through the teenage years, and one of the traps that they face is the trap of the herd, it's the trap of peer pressure, Dennis.

Dennis:          You know, Jeremiah, chapter 5, verse 26 says, "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and those who set traps to catch men."  That's peers – evil peer pressure can snare our children and can ruin their lives.

Bob:                You know, Barbara, everywhere you look and listen and read and watch, you hear about peer pressure and its influence, and yet it's almost like we've heard so much about it that we've forgotten that it's real, and we're not sure how to define it or what to do with it.  From a mom's standpoint, practically, what are the issues around peer pressure that are real issues for our families?

Barbara:         To me the big issue for peer pressure is for mom and dad to stay involved.  You need to know who the kids are that your child is hanging out with, who their friends are, and you need to be watching how those friends of your child are beginning to change, because all of our kids, as they move from elementary school in those early years of when they still like Mom and Dad.  

                        But they move into junior high, all