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Handling Peer Pressure

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Handling Peer Pressure at Any Age Peer pressure isn't just for teenagers. It starts in the toddler years and follows us all the way through life. It's the harsh truth of human nature. We struggle with it every single day, even when we don't realize it. Think about it—do any of these sound familiar? Your child is an angel at home, but a whirlwind at school. Where did they learn that behavior? A middle schooler thinks only "poor kids" take the bus. Suddenly, your kid doesn't want to ride the bus anymore; they want you to drop them off in a sports car. Your high schooler, who never cared about phones before, now wants the latest and biggest iPhone just like their friends. A college student loved living in the dorms, but now wants to move into a house with friends because everyone else is doing it. A colleague, who is already struggling financially, buys an expensive new car because they feel their old one doesn’t fit in with the others in the parking lot. An elde...
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Learn to Say “No” Without Feeling Guilty

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Learning to Say No Without the Guilt Have you ever wondered why saying "no" feels so incredibly difficult? For me, it's a feeling I know all too well, and through some deep self-reflection, I’ve started to understand why. We're often taught to see "no" as a negative word. It feels like a rejection, a disagreement, or a sign of being difficult. But we all have the right to say it. So why does it come with so much guilt? In my experience, the guilt came from a few places: a deeply ingrained habit of always saying "yes," a fear of criticism, and a dread of being seen as rebellious. These feelings followed me everywhere, from social gatherings to the workplace. Let me break down what I mean. I was raised in an African household where giving your all to others, even at your own expense, was a given. My mother is a true giver, and I was taught to be the same. But as I got older, I realized this wasn't always a good thing. I was pouring myself out for...
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