Some of us are born into more nurturing families and some of us are forced to become more independent at an earlier age. The family that we got is not something we had any control over. So, just be thankful for what you have because somebody else always has it worse. And if you are thinking: Hey, you haven’t seen my family yet. Well, just think of it this way: Maybe our Creator gave you the family you have to better prepare you for the real world outside of your home. So be thankful for your family, regardless of their flaws, and love them for who they are. Now, on to your friends. We have some power in choosing them, so they are a totally different story.
We are going to spend a lot of time with these other people outside of our family that we call our friends. Heck, someday we will even marry a girlfriend or boyfriend. Hopefully, he or she will be our best friend, but not our only friend. And because we are going to be spending a lot of time with our friends, they are going to have a lot of influence over our thoughts and actions. Friends can make us or break us, so we better choose them wisely. And the girlfriend or boyfriend that we choose to take on someday as our spouse only amplifies that principle of making or breaking us. So, we better give a lot of thought to which friend we want to spend the rest of our life with, as well as, which other friends we regularly hang around with. Hey, we can’t help it. We tend to mimic our social environment, and part of that environment is our friends. It does not mean we are weak: it’s just means that we are human
Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Remember to love your family, but to choose your friends wisely. And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…