Peer Pressure
Situation: You’re at a friend’s birthday party, and the host’s parents offer alcohol to everyone, saying, “We’d rather you drink here than somewhere unsafe.” Your friends are excited and start pressuring you to join in.
The host’s parents are in charge of the party, but the law is the ultimate authority in this situation. Underage drinking is illegal regardless of the parents’ rules.
Right Thing to Do: Politely refuse the alcohol, remind others that it’s illegal, and consider leaving the party if you feel unsafe.
Situation: Your parents forbid you from going to a party because they don’t trust the host. You feel this decision is unfair since all your friends will be there, and the host has never caused any issues before.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge because they set the rules for you and are responsible for your safety.
Right Thing to Do: Respect your parents’ decision, calmly explain your point of view, and work with them to find a compromise, like attending a different event.
Situation: A substitute teacher gives incorrect instructions for an assignment. When you try to correct them, they insist they are right and tell you to “just follow the instructions.”
Correct Response: The substitute teacher is in charge because they are the acting authority in the classroom.
Right Thing to Do: Follow the instructions respectfully and inform your regular teacher later about the situation.
Situation: You’re volunteering at a community cleanup event, and the event leader tells everyone to focus on picking up trash in one area. Another adult, who is just a participant, insists you join them cleaning a different spot.
Correct Response: The event leader is in charge because they are responsible for coordinating the volunteers.
Right Thing to Do: Respectfully let the participant know you’ll follow the event leader’s instructions and continue cleaning in the assigned area.
Situation: While shadowing a professional for career day, they ask you to make copies of a confidential document. You aren’t sure if you should have access to the information.
Correct Response: The professional you’re shadowing is in charge because they are responsible for overseeing your tasks.
Right Thing to Do: Ask politely if the document is meant to be confidential and express your concerns. If you’re still unsure, decline to copy it until they clarify.
Situation: During a sleepover, your friends suggest sneaking out to meet up with someone they know. They promise it’ll just be a short trip, and the parent supervising the sleepover has already gone to bed.
The supervising parent is in charge because they are responsible for your safety, even if they’re unaware of your actions.
Right Thing to Do: Refuse to sneak out, encourage your friends to stay, and if needed, wake the supervising parent to inform them of the situation.
Situation: Your younger sibling accidentally breaks something valuable and begs you not to tell your parents. Later, your parents notice and assume you’re the one responsible.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge because they manage the household and need to know the truth to address the situation fairly.
Right Thing to Do: Tell your parents the truth about what happened, encouraging your sibling to take responsibility while also supporting them.
Situation: During a parent-teacher conference, your teacher praises you for a project that you know your older sibling helped you complete, even though they shouldn’t have. Your parents smile proudly.
Correct Response: The teacher is in charge of evaluating your work.
Right Thing to Do: Be honest with your teacher and parents about the help you received, taking accountability for your work.
Situation: While babysitting for a family friend, their neighbor comes over and starts giving you unsolicited advice about how to care for the kids, contradicting the parents’ instructions.
Correct Response: The parents are in charge because they left you responsible for their children and set the guidelines.
Right Thing to Do: Politely thank the neighbor for their input but stick to the parents’ instructions, prioritizing the children’s safety and well-being.
Situation: Your teacher gives you an extension on an assignment, but a substitute the next day insists it’s due immediately. When you explain the extension, the substitute tells you they don’t care.
Correct Response: The substitute teacher is in charge temporarily, but the regular teacher’s instructions take precedence.
Right Thing to Do: Respectfully inform the substitute of the arrangement and submit the assignment according to the extension deadline, letting the regular teacher know about the conflict later.
Your friends plan to vandalize a rival school’s property before the big game. They say it’s just “harmless fun” and convince you to go with them. When you arrive, the school security guard catches you and demands to know who else was involved.
The school security guard is in charge because they enforce the rules on school property.
Right Thing to Do: Admit your own involvement, accept the consequences, and refuse to name others unless it’s required to resolve the situation fairly.
Situation: Your family struggles financially, and your parents ask you to skip an extracurricular activity you love because they can no longer afford it. They promise they’ll make it up to you when things improve.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge because they are managing family finances and making decisions for the household’s well-being.
Right Thing to Do: Respect their decision and try to find alternative ways to pursue your interest, such as joining a free community program.
Situation: You’re working at your part-time job, and your manager tells you to throw out perfectly good food that could be donated. When you suggest donating it, they say, “Just follow the policy.”
Correct Response: Your manager is in charge because they enforce company policy.
Right Thing to Do: Follow the manager’s instructions, but bring up the issue later with higher management or suggest a policy change.
Situation: At a public park, a group of older teens is being loud and disruptive near a family gathering. A park ranger arrives and tells everyone in the area to quiet down, including your group, even though you weren’t involved.
Correct Response: The park ranger is in charge because they enforce the rules in public spaces.
Right Thing to Do: Apologize for the disruption, even if you weren’t part of the problem, and encourage your group to respect the ranger’s authority.
Situation: While volunteering at an animal shelter, a staff member tells you to cut corners when cleaning cages to save time. Another staff member insists you do it properly, even if it takes longer.
Correct Response: The shelter’s official supervisor or manager is in charge, even if they aren’t present at the moment.
Right Thing to Do: Follow the correct procedures to ensure the animals’ safety and cleanliness and notify the supervisor about the conflicting instructions.
A new student joins your friend group. Your closest friend doesn’t like them and insists you ignore them. The new student has been kind to you but is visibly hurt by the group’s behavior.
Your closest friend seems to have social influence, but ultimately, you are in charge of your own actions and decisions.
Right Thing to Do: Treat the new student with kindness and include them, even if it means risking tension with your friend group.
Situation: Your uncle encourages you to pursue a career path your parents strongly disagree with. Your parents insist that you follow their advice instead.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge because they are your legal guardians, but your uncle’s perspective may be worth considering as well.
Right Thing to Do: Listen to both sides, research the career paths, and have an honest discussion with your parents about your own interests and goals.
Situation: Your principal makes a surprise visit to your class. After they leave, the teacher tells everyone to pretend they were doing work if asked about it later, even though the class was off-task.
Correct Response: The teacher is in charge of the classroom, but the principal is the ultimate authority in the school.
Right Thing to Do: Refuse to lie and tell the truth if asked directly by the principal.
Situation: At a charity event, an adult volunteer claims they are the new team leader and tries to take charge, but their instructions conflict with the directions given earlier by the actual team leader.
Correct Response: The original team leader is in charge because they were assigned to lead the group by the organization hosting the event.
Right Thing to Do: Politely continue following the original leader’s directions and inform them about the confusion so they can address it.
Situation: At a family event, one adult relative asks you to help clean up the kitchen, but another insists you play a board game with the younger kids instead. Both are adamant that their request is more important.
Correct Response: The adult hosting the event is in charge because they oversee the event’s organization.
Right Thing to Do: Politely ask the host for clarification on which task to prioritize and follow their instructions.
Situation: Your older sibling is hosting a party while your parents are out of town. They tell you to lie if your parents ask about it, promising they’ll owe you big time. The next day, your parents ask if anything unusual happened while they were gone.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge of the household and have the ultimate authority.
Right Thing to Do: Be honest with your parents about what happened, even if it means upsetting your sibling.
Situation: Your grandparents want you to attend a family reunion, but your parents have already planned a weekend trip for just your immediate family. Both sides expect you to go along with their plans.
Correct Response: Your parents are in charge because they are your guardians and responsible for making decisions about your time and commitments.
Right Thing to Do: Respect your parents’ plans but express your desire to attend the reunion. Suggest an alternative date for the trip or reunion to satisfy both sides.
Situation: Your coach tells the team to “bend the rules” in an upcoming game to gain an advantage, assuring you it’s not technically against the rulebook. The referee might not notice.
Correct Response: The coach is in charge of the team, but the referee is the ultimate authority who enforces the rules during the game.
Right Thing to Do: Refuse to participate in bending the rules and encourage the team to play honestly.
Situation: During a neighborhood watch meeting, a longtime resident insists the group take action against a teen they believe is causing trouble. The official watch leader asks everyone to wait until they’ve gathered more evidence.
Correct Response: The watch leader is in charge because they are responsible for ensuring decisions are fair and based on evidence.
Right Thing to Do: Support the watch leader’s call for patience and fairness, and suggest constructive ways to address concerns without jumping to conclusions.
Situation: You’re at a part-time job when a coworker, who has been there longer, tells you to skip safety procedures because they take too long. Your manager, however, emphasized earlier that safety is a top priority.
Correct Response: The manager is in charge because they are responsible for workplace operations and safety.
Right Thing to Do: Stick to the safety procedures as instructed by your manager and, if necessary, report the coworker’s behavior to ensure everyone follows the rules.