Let’s be honest here, when something doesn’t go our way, sometimes we just want to run home and cry to our parents like five year olds. You know it’s true. Sometimes we just don’t feel like doing something so, we don’t. And whether we own up to it or not, we are breaking commitments that have made.

Learning that breaking commitments is a bad idea is a difficult lesson for teens to learn. That’s probably because teens are so good at getting mad at others who are irresponsible but lousy at accepting their own responsibilities.

Ever gone to a restaurant and found a chef who doesn’t feel like making food? Exactly. If that happened, customers won’t eat and the restaurant won’t make money. Not good, right? Not only is this chef being an idiot by not doing the job he gets paid for, he’s hurting other people which is completely unfair.

A police officer who has been up all night with his own sick child is heading to work and sees a head on collision. He doesn’t ride past the scene and expect someone else to do his job for him because he doesn’t feel like doing it himself; though tired and worn out, he has a commitment to the victims and their families to do everything he can to help them.

And what about Santa Clause? Kids on Christmas morning are anxiously awaiting the moment to open presents they have been waiting all year to get. But come December 25, there isn’t coal in their stocking, there’s NOTHING under the tree either. Santa was tired and didn’t feel like traipsing all over the world in his sleigh. Instead of hearing Christmas carols, we would hear the resounding noise of cranky children boo-whooing all day.

Scheduled for a physical? We’re sorry, the doctor doesn’t feel like seeing you today. He’s busy golfing and your ever-so-important sports physical is not at the top of his list of priorities. Mad? You should be.

Have you submitted a huge paper at the end of the quarter that can be the difference between passing and failing? So sorry, you are out of luck. Your teacher didn’t feel like grading the nine million BCRs she’s given in the last week; instead she decides she feels like getting her nails done and spending the afternoon shopping. Your paper? It sits in the backseat of her car all weekend. Fair? Not really.

Commitment is a part of life. And for many students, sports commitments are at the top of the list. Every athlete makes a commitment to the team on which they play as soon as they make the team. As much as we just want to go home, turn on the TV, and eat a pizza after school, we can’t. We have a commitment to our team. No one cares if you don’t feel like heading to practice because you’d rather watch a PLL or The Walking Dead marathon that is on TV.

News flash: Your commitment to your team means that you don’t get to pick and choose when to be there, plain and simple. No excuses. You go, you work hard, you have a good attitude, and then guess what? You do it again the next day. And the next.

What all people need to understand is that there will be times in everyone’s lives where they just won’t feel like getting out of bed, or not feel like doing a job. The fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter what we feel like doing, we need to do what is expected of us. The sooner that everyone realizes that, the better off we