Times may have changed but there are some things in a young adolescent's life that haven't changed. Specifically: peer pressure.

We worry about how our children will respond. The pressure is all around them, from their friends to what they read, to what they see on TV and at the movies.

I found out the other day that our children, no matter how hard we try to protect them, will face challenges at a much younger age than even we did!

My daughter faced a challenge the other day and used good judgment. I was relieved. But there will be even tougher challenges for her ahead. It's part of growing up, I know.

Peer pressure is hard. Even as adults! There's no easy answer on how to help your child deal with it other than open communication. What does that mean?

I spend a lot of time in the car with my daughter and we talk. Talk about everything. From the music she likes, to her hair; her day in school; to boys; to what to wear on picture day!

Her recent peer challenge also opened the door to talking about some other topics. Like smoking, drug use and even sex! Hopefully, those talks reinforce our values and expectations and give her the inner strength to do the right thing.

At her age, our conversations need to include more than "what was your thorn or what was the rose" in her day.