Often the opinions of our peers cause unwanted pressure on us. We completely mould ourselves to suit others, acting as their clone and leaving our own identity behind. Exhibiting a behavior like this is improper.

Like lotuses cannot be painted yellow and sunflowers cannot attain a pink color; similarly we cannot paint ourselves in the colours of someone else. We should be accepted by our friends for who we are, after all a garden looks beautiful with diverse flowers and their contrasting colors.

Madhur G Singh, IX K
Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram

6 “One who finds a friend, finds a treasure.” It’s true that friendship is the greatest treasure of one’s life because friends are the best gifts given to us by god. It would be so lonely to have no friends in our life. True friends never pressurise, but guide you to take the right decision. So in my life the opinions of my friends matter a lot because a true friend is the one who walks in when the whole world walks out. At times when I am unable to take a decision I take help of my friend and she guides me and stands beside me as a support pillar. So I believe that a good friend is not someone we have to imitate but someone who accepts us as we are.

Anmol Sehgal,VIII A
Apeejay School, Saket

7 As adolescence marks the transition from childhood to adulthood, it requires the redefining of some basic relationships. Relationship with the family at this time involves a lot of tension as we feel they don’t understand us. Acceptance by our peers is very important. We value the decisions and thoughts of our friends more because we feel they understand our needs and our thinking. Relationship with peers and friends becomes more intimate and vital for us as we easily identify with them. The other reason could be that we are not open with our family members and fear their reaction. Also, since we want our peers to treat us as important, we try to do things the way they would be appreciated in the group.

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