So here's the deal...
Every Wednesday night I drive my oldest daughter to our church youth group. On the way home, she always tells me EVERY detail about what they talked about. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad she feels comfortable enough to talk to me and actually answer the question "How was your day" with more than a shrug of the shoulders and a mumbled "mmok" but she tends to ramble and mumble which can make me concentrate more on hearing her than on the road. ANYWHO...tonight they talked about peer pressure. A great thing for kids to learn about, especially in a church setting.
The youth pastor talked about different things he was peer pressured into doing as an adolescent and how he was given tough consequences because of those actions. Yes, mom and dad definitely don't want to hear that their child has been arrested or that they might be kicked out of college. AGREED! I reassured her that it is a terrible idea to listen to what other's tell you to do especially if it means possibly ruining things for yourself. HOWEVER, when it came time to put Mama in the hot seat, I started whistling a slightly different tune. She turned to me and asked if I had ever been peer pressured into anything. The first thing that came to mind was of course, probably the worst one at this particular Godly moment.
I blurted out "Yeah. Sneaking out of church camp." REALLY, Renee? Well, she of course, let out a big gasp and immediately wanted all the details. I quickly assured her I didn't bust down some chained gates, with a cigarette tucked behind my ear and a bottle of gin in my back pocket. I said some older boys came to our "dorm" window and asked us to come outside with them. So with my 2 giddy girlfriends, we readily (and without peer pressure I might add) shimmied our way out the window. We just walked the grounds talking, we climbed a tree and we all tried to swing on a bench swing at the same time. I explained to her that this was my decision and that the only part of that I regretted was not putting on pants. It was a cool October evening and I was sporting a pair of baby pink shorts.
Now, I get how terrible that sounds BUT what you also have to know about my daughter is she is TERRIFIED of ever doing anything wrong or upsetting anyone in any way. So she has ALWAYS turned down peer pressure because there is no way in Hannah Montana that she would want to risk being scolded or heaven forbid, grounded. This has been fantastic and I greatly appreciate the breeze it's been to raise her, but I also think that it's those few moments in life when we bend the rules a little (but ultimately stay true to ourselves) and go on an adventure that are the moments we cherish and giggle about for the rest of our lives. I didn't drink in high school, I tried smoking (gross, man) I kept my knickers to myself into adulthood and to this day haven't had a date with the reefer (are you enjoying all the cheesy references?) For the most part followed my parent's rules. (I probably snuck some candy here and there, don't judge) I did however have many harmless adventures where I learned to have fun, loosen up and maybe letting loose the few times I did helped keep me from finally snapping and giving into the MAJOR peer pressure? Who knows...
I did my best to explain to her to still enjoy her youth and her life responsibly. While I do wish she takes a few more chances, I hope she does her best to follow what God has laid out for us as rules rather than fall in line with whatever "cool thing" people are doing.
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