True, I was less than profound at that moment in the car. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Many parents warn their children against substance abuse. Many parents model appropriate behavior around drugs and alcohol. And still many children abuse them.
Society loves to blame it on peer pressure.
Most of the teenagers I talk to, privately and in groups, tell me that peer pressure is not as big a deal as we adults make it out to be. It involves a combination between parental influence, developmental windows, personal choices, and yes, peer influence. Parental Influence Parental influence starts off strong in a child s life and then weakens over time. What parents do and say are important during the first 12 years of a child s life. Parent s who say one thing and do another, have little influence over their children.