Teen Milestone: Setting Life Goals

Of course, your preschooler set life goals: Become the first crocodile-riding dinosaur wrangler! Um. Okay, while preschoolers dream big, teens dream big, too. The difference is teen goals are possibly achievable and definitely realistic. This teen milestone plays out repeatedly before adulthood: Applying for a job and getting it, applying to college and getting accepted, or practicing basketball and making the team are all examples of how teens set life goals and reach them. This milestone is important because it sets them up for adulthood success. They learn that going for a goal means you sometimes achieve it.

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