Peer Pressure Lifebabble

Hey, Lifebabblers,

today we're going to be talking about peer pressure

and standing up for yourself.

So, Charlie, what is peer pressure?

Peer pressure is when you do something

either because a friend has persuaded you to do it,

or because everybody else seems to be doing it,

and so you feel scared that you'll look stupid

if you don't do it as well.

Peer pressure can be something as small

as taking an extra slice of cake, or something a little bit bigger

that could actually lead you to getting into trouble.

It can also be when you see a lot of other people doing something

and you feel like you should do it, too.

Sometimes people are worried that they'll be picked on

if they don't go with the crowd,

or that they might lose their friends,

or they just do things that they know they shouldn't do

because they think it'll make their friends like them a bit more.

If you find yourself facing peer pressure,

be strong and do what you think is right.

A good friend will respect your choices

and you'll find yourself respecting yourself more, too,

if you stand up for what you believe in.

So I got in trouble at school once and felt really bad about it.

Basically, we were told not to go into the sweet shop

with my friends, but I decided to follow them into the sweet shop.

I didn't even buy any sweets, but we got caught and I got in trouble.

I felt really bad about it

because I didn't even want to go in that sweet shop

and, from that day, I learnt

not to follow other people's actions to fit in.

PHONE RINGS

As a boy who attends ballet class,

I have faced criticism from my peers and people at my school

that I shouldn't do ballet because I'm a boy.

At first, it got me down,

but I decided I wasn't going to let it bother me.

Talking to my family helped.

I love to dance, and I kept on dancing.

I am going to achieve my dreams of a dancer, no matter what people say.

CHEERING

Standing up for yourself means clearly explaining

how you feel and what you want.

But how do you stand up for yourself

without sounding pushy or aggressive?

Here's some tips.

Practice what you want to say first, or try writing them down.

"Sorry, guys, as appealing as it sounds,

"I just don't want to watch football...

"again."

Eww. No, thanks, I'd rather not eat your home-made raw onion cake,

but thank you for the kind offer.

Hopefully that sounded OK and not, like...mean.

No, thank you, I would not like to do your homework for you.

Act calm and confident.

Sometimes it can be hard to stand up for yourself

and say how you really feel,

especially if you're disagreeing with someone.

While people should accept you for who you are

and respect the decisions

that you make, some may not.

Have you ever made somebody do something they didn't want to do?

How do you think that made THEM feel?

Everyone has the right to say how they feel

and ask for what they need.

Sometimes, it just takes one person to be assertive

to give everybody else permission to say what they want to.

If you still feel pressured into doing something

you don't want to do,

talk to someone.

# Is someone telling you to do something you'd rather not do?

# If they say go, say thanks but no

# Cos honestly I'm good

# If they don't drop it then just drop them

# Cos there's nothing worse than a pushy, fake friend

# You know what you want and you know what you don't

# So just say nope. #

That's all we have time for today, Lifebabblers.

Check out more from the team over on the CBBC website.

And remember, don't be pressured, be you,

and keep babbling.