“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:6)
Let me first say that I am not against a child being popular and well-liked because of their character and personality. There is nothing wrong with that in and of itself. The danger comes when children SEEK popularity.
They Will Follow Culture Instead of Developing Character.
The things that are popular in our culture are not things which tend to develop character in our children. Children who seek popularity will seek it through Pop culture which glorifies the wrong things. Therefore, I would rather my child be behind times as far as culture goes, but grow up to have character.
They Will Seek Acceptance From The Wrong People
Children who seek popularity will seek acceptance from those whom they perceive are already popular. Thus, they will feel pressured to act or do whatever the “popular” crowd does in order to gain their acceptance, which will lead them into risky behavior such as smoking, drinking, drug use, and sexual activity.
They need to be taught that their acceptance comes from who they are in Christ, not by what others think of them.
They Will Become Depressed Trying To Maintain A Social Status.
They don’t realize that once they attain popularity and are in the “popular” group, they have to work at staying there. Popularity is fickle: one day you’re in and the next day you’re out.
They Will Never Know The Value of Standing Alone For Christ.
Children who are raised to be popular don’t realize that popularity becomes a god to them. They live for popularity when they should be living for God.
Some of the greatest Christians in all the Bible had to stand alone against the “popular” crowd of their day. Teach your child to stand up for what they believe, even if they stand alone.