I think most parents would agree that the above statement is certainly a myth. Since we’ve all been kids already, we are living with the choices we made when we were young. Some of those choices were positive and some were not. But we live with them either way, but our kids can have a hard time grasping that as they live wild and free. The “free” part is a myth also. We all eventually pay.
At the moment, I am in Florida looking out over the water. On occasion you get to see first hand some of the choices that people made when they were young and how they’re paying for it now. Have you ever seen a tattoo on a 70-year-old woman as she walks down the beach? Sometimes it’s hard to tell what the tattoo is supposed to be. The wrinkles and gravity have had their way, and I am sure they wish that ugly blob of ink was gone. Now, I am not against tattoos, but it’s just an example of the ramifications of a choice made when young that you have to live with when old. In the scope of things, a saggy tattoo is a pretty mild consequence to live with.
Many are living with much greater issues because of poor choices made when young. Unwanted pregnancies, abortions, addictions (alcohol, drug, porn), criminal records, and STD’s are all things that can follow you physically and mentally into adulthood. But just as painful are great friendships and great loves lost because of poor choices. The life that “could have been” changed forever because of the indiscretions of youth.
What your kids do now will matter when they become adults. Share your stories with them. Have their grandparents share their stories with them. The stories of choices made don’t have to be all negative. Some of the choices youth make can have incredibly positive results that follow them into adulthood. I am sitting next to a man (my dad) who, as a teen, chose to join the Air Force during the Korean War – a very positive choice indeed.