Teens will face more and more adult choices in life as he or she progresses toward high school graduation. Although most teens on average make good decisions on average, the average teen lacks the ability to see all the outcomes in a given situation. This can result in teens making impulsive decisions based on wants and not needs. Impulsivity is a very real danger during the teen years, yet ADD and ADHD teens are at an even higher risk for acting impulsively.

Part of this is due to teenagers feeling immortal, resulting in decisions made in the here and now, with no regard for tomorrow. Impulsivity is one of three main characterizations of ADD and ADHD. Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and distractibility are the symptoms that people may experience with ADD or ADHD, yet most importantly one must realize ADD and ADHD does have a sudden onset, nor develop overnight. The symptoms show up early on in a child’s life, often before a child starts school.

Although there is a certain amount of impulsive behavior that comes with being a child and evolving into a teenager, what is normal and what is due to ADD or ADHD is sometimes difficult to differentiate between the two. Impulsivity can harm, even kill a child or a teenager and should be the topic of education from early on in life.

Learning begins at birth. It is unfair to expect that our teen will grow up and overnight begin to make good decisions. Teens must learn how to make effective decisions from seeing the adults in his or her life model good decision-making skills and behavior. Parents cannot smoke cigarettes and expect his or her child will never smoke. It does not make sense to tell children do as I say and not as I do. Children learn what they live.

Sadly, many teenagers will tell you that their mom or dad has absolutely no idea how they feel and cannot possibly understand them. After all what parent knows anything about being a teenager? How sad the loss of opportunity for both teens and parents. Teens feel parents do not hear what he or she is saying and sometimes parents do not hear what a teen wants mom or dad to hear and vice versa.

Although arguing with mom or dad rarely results in a positive outcome, asking mom or dad to rethink a situation is reasonable. However do it respectfully and respect the final decision, whether or not you like it. Mutual respect will go a long way in preserving a workable relationship between parents and teens through puberty. In the end, the parent is in charge, not the child.

Finally, everyone learns from his or her mistakes and allowing children to his or her own decisions in certain situations and allowing his or her to experience the outcome help a child learn about consequences. However, children should not make adult decisions, like having sex or doing drugs unless he or she is ready to face all possible outcomes, regardless if the outcome was expected or not, he or she is still accountable for the result.