Making uninformed decisions are difficult no matter the age and there isn’t always a script for every scenario even as adults. Teenagers are just emerging from childhood and crossing the threshold into adulthood. Though they come up against situations they intellectually understand, the correct course of action and the reality of situations don’t always add up to rational responses mostly from a lack of experience.

I made plenty of bad decisions as a teen some more innocuous than others. The worst was getting involved with two college students much older than me and participating in violent protests at a college while I was in high school (and very naïve). I was convicted for the crime I committed and served my time as an adult although I was a minor when the crimes took place.

Had I been thinking as I do now, I would never have taken that path. Although no excuse I was confused, immature and insecure. I did not have enough foresight to understand the reality outcomes of my actions would have. I knew intellectually what I was doing was wrong but lack of experience did me in as is often the case with teens.

I paid for my crime and have paid ever since. Though I learned my lesson many others are not able to see past it and never will. I’ve realized that is perfectly okay. That with the subsequent willingness to deal with these lasting effects took till I was in my twenties to accept.

It can be a difficult road to haul for the individual who has made a mistake. Willingness to accept the trespasses we have made and thus those of others can be hard to come by perhaps because we don’t want to face memories of our own indiscretions. These are different for each of us, but similar when they were mistakes made as teenagers. While not actions which are without consequences they should be forgiven in most cases once the penalty has been paid. Some actions are criminal like mine was while others are merely frowned upon by some segments of society though not illegal.

That is all the more reason to bring forgiveness to the table when sitting down to discuss and consider actions of a teenager gone astray. Adults have an entirely different set of rules which govern them. Once they reach adulthood teenage criminal mistakes are wiped clean because as a society we believe teenage mistakes are normal and can be forgiven.

We do so because people grow and change and we recognize that. A tiger may not change its stripes and a leopard its spots but people change their minds every day. People change their lifestyles and habits usually over time and with much hard work, but it is constantly happening.

They stop smoking, stop drinking, cut back on junk foods, get more exercise, become more disciplined about their work habits and discover reasons to excel and achieve goals once thought impossible for them. It’s all a part of human nature and the process of mastering the unique ability to exercise control over our minds, our emotions and bodies as we grow to discover who we are. The world is not perfect and miracles sometimes happen but mostly just reality happens which in and of itself is wondrous.

I don’t say my actions are excusable although I’ve forgiven myself and that forgiveness is not bound to people’s perception of my actions from eighteen years past. Although a different set of circumstances and certainly not a crime, the fact the Republican Vice Presidential nominee’s 17 year old daughter is pregnant with child is not something which need haunt her or her child for the rest of their lives. As adults when we look at her actions we can see the things we did at or about that age. We might look at how we committed actions which could have had lasting affects - positive or otherwise.

In the end the birth of a child taken alone can never be a negative. The Palins welcomed a new life into the world which only adds to the rich tapestry of our country and the experience of being human. We need not rush to judgment as we were mostly all forgiven and granted passes for indiscretions we committed as youths. Those things passed with time. Bristol Palin is an expectant mother and has enough to think about without us trying to add our two cents to her thought process.

The mark of someone who has truly grown into adulthood can often be measured by a capacity for forgiveness and compassion. With that spirit let’s all try something so often passed up when dealing with political situations. Let’s try our best to a give our full support to the Palins in this situation. In so doing we can perhaps show the best in ourselves regardless of political affiliations or stances on issues.

To read about my inspiration for this article go to www.lawsuitagainstuconn.com.