Seven Things You Should Not Do at 16

Certain things that you do in your life as a teenager can have damaging effects on your adulthood. It can be hard to heed your parent's advice because life seems so vast and time seems endless. Just because you are a teen does not mean that you are exempt from consequences. If you are a young teen you should take a look at the below suggestions on what to avoid doing during adolescence and why you should avoid doing these things.

1. You should avoid opening up more than two credit cards and fail to pay off the balance in a consecutive manner. Credit card offers start making their way in the mail when a person nears the age of 18. By the age 18 you might start receiving four offers a week from companies like Capital One, Chase, and American Express etc -- Opening up multiple credit cards and not paying off the balance appropriately can cause your credit score to plummet.

Having a low credit score can make it difficult for you to rent an apartment, take out a loan, and at times secure a job. You may think that you can handle multiple cards but it is very easy to default on them. Defaulting on your accounts can cause you to become bankrupt at a very early age! You should open a maximum of two cards at first and pay off the balance on time over the course of a few months.

2. Never play hooky at least more than once. Playing hooky is a foolish thing to do because you miss out on valuable school lessons. At this age, you might not think that school is important but it is. How well you do in school will have great influence on the outcome of your adult life. The more that you skip school the less chance you will have graduating high school with decent grades. Less than perfect grades will make it hard for you to enter into a great university. Less than perfect grads will also cause you to miss out on scholarships. If you want an easy life when you are an adult you need to do well in school.

3. Avoid trying out any type of drug. You have probably heard the slogan say no to drugs and this slogan could not be any truer. You might think that trying and doing drugs will make you appear cooler than what you are but one hit off of one drug can cause death. Many mild drugs are often laced with lethal drugs. There have been incidents where a person tries a drug once and becomes addicted. Drug addictions are hard to break and can continue from adolescence throughout adulthood.

4. Avoid having unprotected sex. Having unprotected sex comes with great risks such as catching a sexually transmitted disease, getting pregnant, or getting someone pregnant. Both sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy will stay with you throughout the remainder of your life. Sexually transmitted diseases range from the very mild (genital warts) to the very lethal (HIV.) If you become pregnant you will be a parent for the rest of your life. One night of unprotected sex can have a life changing effect.

5. Avoid driving under the influence or riding in a car operated by a driver under the influence. Driving under the influence is a very hazardous thing to do as it can cause someone to become greatly injured or killed. If you ride in the car with a drunk driver you put your self at great risk. You can lose your life if the driver crashes or you can become maimed in a way that will affect your mobility such as in paralysis or a coma.

6. Avoid shoplifting for fun. Shoplifting can seem like a game to show your boldness to your friends but it can cause you to get a record. Most juvenile offenses do not follow a person into adult hood but if you commit a crime at the age of 18 you can be charged which would result in you having a record. Having a record will affect your ability to get a job and take out loans and sometimes enter school.

7. Avoid dropping out of school. Dropping out of school is one of the biggest mistakes that teens make and regret. Many teens do not realize how valuable that one piece of paper is. School can be hard to get through with all of the pressures involved but you should try your best to endure it. Attending a G.E.D. program is a great alternative to receiving your diploma and is a great option if you do not work well in a school setting. Not having your diploma or G.E.D. will make it hard and almost impossible to secure a job that pays above minimum wage. It will also prevent you from entering into a university. You cannot continue your education at a university or college without a diploma or G.E.D.

When you are a teenager it is hard to see how the actions that you make in your teenage life will affect your adulthood. If you make good choices as a teenager your life will be much prosperous in the future. If you make poor choices as a teenager your life will not be so glamorous.