Dear Reddit, I'm 18 years old and I have my whole life ahead of me. What are some decisions/tips/advice you wish you would've known at my age?

Many of these are really good pieces of advice, but are also kind of general.

I have a very specific piece: Make VERY certain that you don't have a child before you're ready. When you think you're ready, you won't be, either, but in the meantime, it's on YOU (not your partner or anyone else) to make sure that you don't have a baby. I've gathered that you are a guy, so that means condoms.

Children are wonderful in many ways, but you are at a time in your life where you are creating your life for later, both through fun and educational experience.

Having a child makes it SOOO much harder. It's not a guarantee of failure, of course, but it increases the odds that you won't be able to do what you'd like to do, not just immediately but long-term. It's taxing financially, but more so emotionally and temporally (your time becomes mostly spoken for, if you're doing it right). Your focus becomes scattered (or just directed toward paternal duties), and so things like demanding (but rewarding) studies or professions, and time-intensive recreation are no longer available to you, at least without greatly increased sacrifice.

The strange thing, in my experience, is that most people are aware of all of this at some level, but I've found that many people make weird, rash, I'm-having-a-baby decisions as a way to shift focus from some unpleasant crap going on in their lives. For example, I'm intimately familiar with three cases of soon-to-be-ex SO's 'accidentally' getting pregnant (while 'on the pill; don't worry about it'), immediately after being told that the relationship was ending.

I don't want this to sound like, "bitches be like..."; I've known a couple of cases of dudes trying to impregnate their lady to do the same thing (hiding/switching pills and poking holes in condoms, respectively), but you are a guy, so that's gonna be your frame of reference.

Trust is great, but VERIFY! Children are great, too, but their life and yours are so much more fun and rewarding when it happens at the right time.

And enjoy! It's a wonderful time. Your attitude is a great sign that you will have a good life. I wish you happiness, health and lots of love.

/r/AskReddit Thread