How to deal with peer pressure
"The problem is that they don’t want to use protection and once you missed your periods or tell him that you are pregnant, they (men) will tell you that it’s over “
School drop-outs due to teenage pregnancy is very high.
It’s allegedly believed that most young girls find themselves in that situation because they are failing to deal with peer pressure, while others crave for expensive material and gadgets like I-phones and tablets.
We interacted with young girls ranging from 16-18 years old regarding this matter and they voiced out different views.
”I think most of our peers want to live a very expensive life, especially when we are in high schools. You reach a point where you feel you can’t cope with the standard of living to such an extent that you have a low self-esteem then you end up dating elderly people who will afford to give you money “ said Amahle Dlamini .
She went on and stated that in most cases sugar daddies are the ones that are spoiling them to compete with their peers, but the problem is that the sugar daddies don’t want excuses when it comes to sexual intercourse as they are taking an advantage that they are doing everything that the girls need.
”We can’t run away from reality, teenage pregnancy is very high and if you can check, it’s very rare to find that the father of the baby is your type (your age group).The problem is that they don’t want to use protection and once you missed your periods or tell him that you are pregnant, they (men) will tell you that it’s over,“ she explained.
Another young person who was forced to drop out of school due to pregnancy, shared here story with this publication.
“When I started my grade 8, I was very focussed in life, but the biggest mistake that I made is that I failed to choose good friends.
They always put me under pressure to do things that I didn’t want, like dating. I was one of those charming girls, approached by boys every day. My friend used to tell me that ngiyatibambelela (I’m depriving myself) since some of those men financially stable. She said they can afford to buy me stuff that I want, so I ended up dating one of them. I was living a good life compared to when I was single. As time went on, I fell pregnant and everything started to change and my dreams faded because I decided to drop out of school and had to tend for my baby,“ concluded Mathapo Nhlongwane * (Not their real names )
Tips on how to deal with peer pressure :
1 . Learn to choose good friends .
2 . Surrounds yourself with people who believed in you .
3. Be certified with what you have .
4 .You must always stand your grounds .
5 . When you say no ,you must mean it .
