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Life is a never-ending field of choices. We wake up in the morning and have to choose to get out of bed. We have to choose what to wear and what to eat. Should I eat? Do I have time to eat?

We are always bombarded with choices. Many teens feel overwhelmed by the choices that are thrown at them every day. The choices we make as teens will affect us later in life, and sometimes that knowledge is overlooked or too much to handle.

I wish that I didn’t have to say this, but there are some teens who don’t care about what or where they will be after school is over. They’re the ones who say, “I like to live in the ‘NOW.’ ” They do stupid things that I’m sure I don’t need to write down because we all know.

(Yes, sorry parents. The things teens did when you were in school are still happening today.)

Then there are those “good” teens who plan for their futures but still do stupid things. I’m sure that some of you are saying, “It’s high school; teens are supposed to mess around and try new and different things.”

This might be true, but “messing” around could have devastating effects. Addiction, pregnancies, death. Do these terms hit a chord with anyone? These things happen.

There are also some teens who are crushed under the pressure of all the choices. These are the teens who try to do everything. They go out for sports, clubs and anything else that will help them look good on applications and scholarships. They try too hard to impress everyone around them, and sometimes they are incapable of doing it all.

When this happens, things can take a bad fall. The stress of their lives can pull them into depression or make them look for alternative escapes from life like the stupid things that can be found all around them.

Don’t get me wrong. These things don’t happen to every teen. That’s not the point. The point is that all of these things happen from the choices we all make every day.

They come from the parents’ choice to be involved in their child’s life. They come from friends helping friends or letting friends fall. They come from being able to make your own choices and not following the crowd.

Making choices is hard, but it’s a fact of life. So … what will you choose to do today?

Sarah Pedretti is a senior at Onalaska High School.