Adolescent Morality and Peer Influence
Answering Hard Questions

What to Say to Peer Pressure on Moral Standards:

The next time someone asked if she was a virgin and why, [this Tennessee high school senior] said, “I’m a virgin because I never have to worry.  I never have to worry that the day after a date I will wake up pregnant.  I never have to worry that I will have a baby out of wedlock and burden my parents with raising the child because I’m too young and don’t have time.  I never have to worry that I will wake up after a date and find that I have a sexually transmitted disease.  I never have to worry that one day when I find the man I want to marry and he pops the question, that I won’t have to say, ‘I love you, too, but I have something I have to tell you.  I have a sexually transmitted disease that could cause our children to be born blind, or deaf, or mentally impaired, or born dead, or because of it I’m infertile and can never have children.’  That’s why I’m a virgin, because I never have to worry.”

She said the response of the kids was different after this explanation.  They would say, “Oh, I never thought about that before.”  She said she would tell them that it’s serious business and they better start thinking about it immediately. (From Meridian Magazine. Lundberg, "Parents Must Boldly Teach the Consequences of Immorality")

Parent Talk:

Why Do Teens Yield to Peer Pressure?

Teens yield to peer pressure because they have an identity crisis. That is, they don't have a sense of who they are. They don't know that they are spiritual children of their Father in Heaven.

Parents, anchor their souls in faith and in your love. When they are secure in the knowledge that they are deeply loved by both God and their parents, they will be strong. This "shield" of faith and love will protect them from temptations to do things which are unworthy of their divine nature.

"They have become free forever, through the great Mediator of all men, to act for themselves" according to the commandments of God,"and not to be acted upon."

Peer pressure appeals to a person’s need to "look up to" someone. Teen idols are a form of hero worship. Research shows that parents are still the strongest influence on adolescents’ big decisions... Deep down they want you to be their hero. And why not? Give them heroes to look up to. Dinner Talk for Champions gives them epic heroes of all ages, worthy of emulation. Not only that, you can help them discover the epic hero within themselves!

Ode to the Epic Hero

Why Do People Have Temptations and Difficulties in Life?

It's about building Character.

For everyone on earth, young or old, Life is like one big Test, to see how we will respond to all kinds of challenges and circumstances. What choices will we make, and what will we do with the inevitable consequences?

No one ever said it would be easy to endure the daily battles to change our hearts and conquer temptations, but faith assures us that it is decidedly worth it.


Sterling character is not measured in money. At the end of the day, it is not what we get that matters, but what we become.


Where are you going?

The first thing we look for on the map is our destination. One prophet said that this life is the time to prepare to meet God. The object, therefore, would be that we emerge from this earthly training session with the capability of standing on holy ground when we arrive there.


The Rockwell family followed the compass very carefully. At last, through the darkness, they could see the welcome beam of th lighthouse that was shown on the chart. They made it to a safe harbor at the Promised Land.
(A Parable of Two Families)

In the sense that seeds are planted as we go about our daily works, then every day is spring, and every moment is a gift. We may not harvest fully till at the end of the road, but if along the way we leave no seed unsown, no service unrendered, no wisdom ungathered, and no loved one uncherished, our final reward will be twofold. For we will have found joy in the journey, as well.

Back toStep 4    Adolescent Morality and Peer Influence
Step 1 Fun Family Traditions