Love is a very strong word. Almost everyone experiences love at least once in their life. Love among students is very common and can be controversial. It is common for adults to invalidate teens’ feelings because they don’t believe that young love is truly love. Many students at Miami High are in relationships and claim that they are in love with the person they are with. 

Is Teen Love Real? 

   Although relationships in high school are often disregarded, most students disagree and prove adults wrong. Senior Thomas Santos believes that you can find love while young. He says, “We all tend to find our first love in the teenage years of our lives.” Most of his friends, including himself, have already experienced their first loves, “and for some people, even their second,” he says.  

   On the other hand, some teens that believe in teen love think there are some differences and limits that need to be established when talking about this topic. Sophomore Larissa Zuniga does not believe that anyone under the age of 13 knows “true” romantic love. “Their version of love is much more innocent hearted and pure. It is love, just not in all its complexity,” she says.  

   Senior Christian Rodil also believes that love is harder to understand when you are younger, but “as you get older, the significance of it becomes greater,” he says. Similarly, sophomore Amina Jamhour does not believe you can feel romantic love when you’re young because, “In this generation, people don’t know how to communicate.”  

   On the other hand, Senior Moises Montenegro believes the only requirement to love is “to understand what love means to you.” 

What is Teen Love? 

   Teens see love in many ways. “Loving someone is making it known that you care for them deeply and will be there for them even when things get tough,” says junior Faith Garcia. 

   Junior Angel Mora says love is “A bond in which not only do you share your time, but also your emotions, plans, and overall, your entire values as a person.”  

   Thomas believes that love “binds two souls together, creating an inseparable bond.” He also says, “Your heart knows they’re good for you, and that’s why you love them.” 

   Larissa says the best word to describe love is with the word “security.” She believes love is “the purest sense of euphoria.” 

Your Person 

   Whether platonically or romantically, almost everyone has someone that they love.  

   Sophomore Valerie Gaitan says she loves her girlfriend because “of how safe and happy she makes me feel.” Valerie describes being around people she loves as her being her “most genuine self.  

   Finally, Sofia Barrera, a sophomore at Miami High loves her boyfriend because “Things feel effortless with him.” She has loved him for a few months now and describes it as “one of the easiest things I’ve ever done.” 

   Senior Elias Sandoval says his person is his little brother. He loves him because “he was born with a good heart,” and he is always comfortable around him. He says he feels a “sense of adventure” when he is with his brother, “like before you go on a rollercoaster.”   

 Expressing Love 

   Love can be shown in numerous ways. Everyone does it in their own special way.  

   “There is no one way I express my love to her.” Moises says about his girlfriend. He will do any small gesture, such as picking a flower from a bush and giving it to her as a way of demonstrating his love for her. 

   Larissa says she best expresses her love to her boyfriend verbally.  She says, “Every time I experience something important, or see something pretty, I tuck it in my mind to tell him about it.” 

Sophomore Miguelangel Hernandez shows his love to his girlfriend, Sofia, by giving her all his “attention and reassurance,” because “that’s what she deserves.” He specifically likes to write her little notes telling her how beautiful she is. 

Knowing You’re in Love 

   Realizing you’re in love means something different for everything. As small as the change is, it matters. 

   For Angel, he knows that he is in love when he thinks for himself, but he also has “that person in mind.”  

   Valerie, however, believes it is “more of a feeling where you stop and think how much you actually like that person and want them to stick around.” 

How Long Does Love Take? 

   Unless you believe in love at first sight, it takes some time to fall in love, at least romantically.  

   Amina says her and her ex “instantly clicked” and she fell in love in after “a couple of weeks.” 

   Junior Faith Garcia says that there is “no set time to fall in love,” it can happen in months or even weeks. 

   Be that as it may, for Thomas, it personally takes him about 3-5 months to fall in love. He also believes that “a lot of people just throw the word around with no real meaning behind it.” Which makes love “just another word and not a true emotion.” 

   Miguelangel says, “it depends on how fast you let yourself fall in love.” He believes there is no time limit for love and “it just has to be the right person.” He says, “you have to let yourself be open to the idea of falling in love with someone.” 

Why Do We Hurt the People We Love? 

   Whether unintentionally or not, hurt comes with love. At some point in time, you will, for whatever reason, hurt or be hurt by the person you love. 

   Moises says he has been hurt by his girlfriend before but that it is “bound to happen in relationships no matter what.” He says that he has also hurt his girlfriend but ever since he has, he has tried his best to “abide by her boundaries and not push them.” 

   Larissa has also hurt and been hurt by her boyfriend before. However, she says that they worked it out by “taking accountability,” communicating their issues to each other, and bettering themselves.  

   Christian, however, hasn’t necessarily hurt or been hurt by his girlfriend, but when problems are encountered, “it’s important to communicate and everything will be fine,” he says. 

   Finally, Elias says he avoids hurting the people he loves by distancing himself before he even gets the chance to. He admits it is a bad habit of his. 

Tips For Parents Dealing with Teens and Romance 

• Let your teen know they can talk to you about anything 
• Protect them from toxic teen relationships. 
• Remind them that real-life dating isn’t like a movie. 
• Help them stay connected with friends and experiences outside the relationship. 
• Trust them and give them privacy—with appropriate limits. 
• Be there for them if they get their heart broken. 

Source: https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/empowering-teens/teenage-love/#:~:text=Teenage%20relationship%20facts%20collected%20by,are%20in%20a%20romantic%20relationship.