Working in education you often here the comment that this kid is a good kid or this kid is a bad kid. I've always kind of been annoyed by that generalization. I prefer to think that kids are kids, they make good decisions and they make bad decisions. Although after 25 years here, there are some kids who make a whole lot more bad decisions than good ones!
Yes. It is not like we didn't make some stupid decisions (and still do) - everyone does. And also yeah - some make many more bad than others, but I wonder how much of it is genetic and environmental conditioning. Can they learn to be better? I think so. Slow down the thinking.
My wife would also argue that trauma is generational, so there is that too.