Category : Notes/work

Sub Category : N/A

Topic assigned by my literature teacher

Why kids behave differently around friends as they do around family members?

Speaking for myself, I don't feel as if I act any differently around my friends as I do when I'm around my family. There was a time when I had some friends over for a birthday party a few years back. I felt weird hanging out with them as my family was close by. When my dad came in to check in to see if we needed anything I got a little rude and told him we were fine and could he please leave us alone! I felt bad about it later. Other than that I try to have the same demeanor and respect for both my friends and family. 

What are some ways kids behave differently around their friends?

In my own experience I have seen other kids act out in ways that their families would find unacceptable. For example, some kids may curse around their friends or crack jokes that would be inappropriate at home around their parents and family members. The only inappropriate words I ever used was jackass and one time I cracked a joke and got in trouble for saying the words deez nuts. I go to a catholic school so I'm careful about what I say. As for the inappropriate words, it wasn't cool and I learned my lesson.

There was a time last summer when I was hanging out with my neighbor friends and I said some things in front of them that was not cool. We were enjoying a snack on the back deck and I told them that my mom likes to say the 4 letter F bomb when she's mad. She told me to knock it off and I kept embarrassing her and I learned a good lesson that day too.

Why do kids behave these ways?

In my own experience, I was joking around and I thought I was being funny. But I wasn't. 

I do believe that some kids act out to show off in front of their friends. Around family kids are in their comfort zones and they drift out of that comfort zone the moment they get around those friends. This happens when kids feel the need to be accepted by other kids. Not everyone feels comfortable in their own skin. 

There was never a time when I felt this way around my peers. I can adjust and go with flow of mostly everyone. There was an incident last year when a kid in school was giving me a hard time, but he was giving all the other kids a hard time to. In my opinion, if someone has a problem with me then they're the one with a problem because I get along with everyone. I treat everyone the same way I want to be treated. I was taught that if you can't say anything nice then zip it!

Conclusion of this essay 

We live in a world where peer pressure is real and people are afraid of being judged. Due to the high rate of bullying, I can see why this happens and why people want to be accepted. Who wants to be bullied and treated bad? Nobody i know. I think it's a way to avoid that from happening. 

As for me, I try to be myself and keep it real. Life is hard to begin with so don't make it harder than it has to be. Treat your peers the way you want to be treated and your family the same way. If everyone lived by that rule our world would be a better place.