For as long as I can remember my teachers, parents, and other adults have been preaching about making better choices. Everyday I am warned "If you make the wrong choice today...you just may not have a tomorrow." I have always ignored these warnings. I took it as the usual parental instinct to preach on their children so we will have a "better life than them." However, I have come to realize choices really do determine our future! Choosing to leave the party drunk can easily lead to you losing your life, family, friends, or even the lives of a child who was going home from school with his or her parents. Choosing to dwell on the negatives of life leads to many teens taking their own life. As teenagers, we are not absolutely 100% able to make our own choices; yes, we deserve and have earned our own independence. However, there are times when WE NEED HELP! Having an open relationship with your parents may sound terrible ( I know I never wanted to speak to my parents unless I was forced to) however, it can be the fine line between life and death. Our parents have been through many of the same experiences as we are constantly battling! SPEAK TO THEM! They are not the perfect angels that we so often picture them as.
So I feel like I am preaching to the choir but...take the step. Become the adult we all strive to be. Open up the connection between your family and protect your life as well as the lives' of those around you.
I say "AMEN" to everything in your post. I just want to say one thing, I never talked to my Grandmother about my problems and how I wish that I did!
i try to tell my friends this. they generally have parents that would roll over dead to get their kids to talk to them. my parents either don't care, or don't have the time. when they do, they give great advice and they reassure you. it's a precious thing.