The author did ultimately choose to leave, but in general we can't expect kids under 20 years old (or even under 30 years old for that matter) to make great lif

The author did ultimately choose to leave, but in general we can't expect kids under 20 years old (or even under 30 years old for that matter) to make great life choices. I certainly didn't. It usually takes experience to be able to make good choices. You have to learn from your mistakes. It's not helpful advice to suggest "Never have regrets, never make mistakes".