Behavior Makeover: Negative Peer Pressure

How will you use the six assertive strategies and the Behavior Makeover Plan to help your child achieve long-term change to combat peer pressure? On the following lines, write exactly what you agree to do within the next twenty-four hours to begin your kid's behavior makeover.

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Makeover results
All behavior makeovers take hard work, constant practice, and parental reinforcement. Each step your kid takes toward change may be a small one, so be sure to acknowledge and congratulate every one of them along the way. It takes a minimum of twenty-one days to see real results, so don't give up too soon. Remember that if one strategy doesn't work, another will. Write your child's weekly progress on the lines below. Keep track of daily progress in your Makeover Journal.

Week 1

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Week 2

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Week 3

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Resources

Stick Up for Yourself: Every Kid's Guide to Personal Power and Positive Self-Esteem, by Pamela Espeland, Gershen Kaufman, and Lev Raphael (Minneapolis, Minn.: Free Spirit Press, 1999). Realistic, how-to advice for kids on being assertive, building relationships, solving problems, and boosting self-esteem. A teacher's guide is also available. Ages 8 to 12.

What Do You Stand For? A Kid's Guide to Building Character, by Barbara Lewis (Minneapolis, Minn.: Free Spirit Publishing, 1999). An inspiring book that invites kids to build strong positive character traits such as honesty, empathy, and tolerance. Ages 11 and up.

Cliques, Phonies, and Other Baloney, by Trevor Romain (Minneapolis, Minn.: Free Spirit Publishing, 1998). Written for every kid who has ever felt excluded or trapped by a clique, this book blends humor with practical advice as it tackles a serious subject. Ages 8 to 13.

Teen Esteem, by Pat Palmer (San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Impact Publishers, 1989). A guide for developing the skills and self-esteem necessary to cope with such adolescent challenges as peer pressure and substance abuse. Ages 13 to 17.

Joshua T. Bates Takes Charge, by Susan Richards Shreve (New York: Knopf, 1993). Joshua remembers how a group of bullies used to tease him for being held back a grade and sees the same boys teasing a new student. He must make a choice. Ages 9 to 12.

What Would You Do? A Kid's Guide to Tricky and Sticky Situations, by Linda Schwartz (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Learning Works, 1990). A commonsense guide that helps kids think through how they would handle more than seventy unexpected or frightening situations. Ages 8 to 12.