It's Your Choice

• Making a choice means picking the things you like best.
• Making a choice means deciding for yourself what your life will be like.

• Should I stay in bed for 10 more minutes?
• What clothes should I wear?
• What should I eat?
• Should I drink coffee or tea?
• What should I watch on TV?
  

• What job do I want?
• Where do I want to live?
  How should I spend my money?
• Should I get married?
• What will I do when I get older?

• In Connecticut, there is a law that says you have:
  • The right to vote
  • The right to say whatever you want to say
  • The right to make your own choices

• It’s not always easy to know what you will like.
• You may choose something new to eat that does not taste good.
• You may choose to see a movie and not like it.
• You may choose to live with someone and things do not go well.

• You can learn from a wrong choice.
• You can learn more about what you like.
• You can make a better choice next time.
• Sometimes, your choices can hurt you.
• A risk is the chance something bad might happen.

• If you choose not to look both ways when you cross the street, you might get hit by a car.
• If you choose to smoke, you might get sick.

• When you take a shower, you could slip and hit your head.
• If you eat a piece of hard candy, you might break a tooth.
• If you choose to pet a dog, it could bite you.

• Ask yourself or someone else about your choice:
• Could it hurt me or someone else?
• Can I do something to keep everyone safe?
• What is the best thing that can happen?
  Think about it and then decide what to do.
• If you are still not sure, you do not have to make the choice at all.

• Making choices helps you to know what you want.
• When you make your own choices, other people don’t make them for you.