An essay on "teenagers making important decisions"

Hello,

Here is another one essay of mine, expressing a few ideas on whether important decisions should be made by a teenager him- or herself or by his or her adult relatives. I'd be great if you take a look and point out any errors. Any critique is welcome.

Topic:

"Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children."

Essay:

The topic states that teenage children cannot make sensible decisions themselves, and instead these decisions should be made by adult members of their families. It is impossible to agree or disagree with this statement for all possible decisions in general. First, a criterion for considering a decision to be important should be introduced. And even then, each decision should be examined separately.

It makes sense to treat a decision as important if this decision will significantly affect the person's life or lives of his or her family members and friends. For instance, buying something extremely expensive, getting married, applying to a college or university, choosing a future profession – these are all important decisions since each of them significantly affects person's life. Below, each of them will be examined individually.

Buying something extremely expensive, like a car or a house is definitely an important decision, since it implies huge financial expenses. In most cases, children of age 10 to 18 have their parents as an only financial source, so such decision should be either made solely by parents. Of course, they may take into account opinions and desires of their child, since in this case something to be bought will be their child's possession, so it should meet some his or her requirements. However, if it is a rare case when a teenager earns enough money him- or herself to buy something really expansive, then such a decision may be made him- or herself without asking parent's advice.

Concerning getting married, it is a purely personal question for each person, and a decision on whether to get married and to whom should be made by a person him- or herself, but not by the parents or other relatives. Though, it would be a good idea to take into account family members' opinions, so that a new member of the family would fit each of them. If some family members are not glad with the choice of a marriage partner, it will create some tension in the family.

Applying to a college or university and choosing a future profession are decisions that should be made by a teenager personally, since nobody except a person may know what he or she wants to do in the professional life. However, in the process of choosing a college or university teenager's parents may provide some useful advice if they themselves went through it. Using the existent experience will make it quicker for a future student to find a decent institution to apply to.

Finally, it appears, that various important decisions are likely to be made by a teenager him- or herself, while others are likely to be made by the teenager's parents. It chiefly depends on the decision's nature. But even if a teenager takes all the responsibility and take a decision solely, it may be useful to consult with other more experienced family members to abate the probability of making a wrong decision.

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Thanks in advance.

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Victor