At this budding age, the heart beats faster and faster and the opposite (or the same) sex suddenly seem so much more attractive. Boys or girls you used to play with in parks, boardwalks, beaches seem to be so hard to approach. Everyone puts on facades. Who is real and who is fake? Why is there so much talk about sex and less and less stigma?
Where is the romance and innocence that comes with teenage life? Before the onset of adulthood, there are problems that hardly pertain to the real world. Surely, teenagers are learning to build a future for themselves in schools, but what does school really teach? When will they use the French they can only read and not speak? (Or any other languages the school taught oh so inadequately) If they aren't in a mathematic career field, when will they put precalculus to use?
This article's purpose is not the bash the uselessness of American academics institutions... it is explore the realm of teenage romance. Still, my previous point to be made is that teenagers are trapped in a dream state. Once the time of dreaming ends, they are flung into the real world, a very overwhelming place.
This does not mean teenagers are oblivious to the happenings of the world. I had a discussion with my teenaged sister last night and she showed insight in where humanity was going. It isn't that she doesn't care... she just has so much more to occupy her thoughts with... Her dreamy existence.
Teenage romance has so much drama. Young significant others are cheating. The word love is thrown around like last Sunday's paper. Friendships end when friends couple up. Some are stuck in the single-stage where they are always alone, couple-wise. There is just so much stress, asides from family life, school life, work, friends...
Where are the innocent bike rides of summer, spring and autumn? I love watching Korean Dramas because the love between couples is so real, tangible and innocent. Forced to grow up and yet still existing in their dreams, teenagers are so mixed. Should they act like adults regarding romance? Should they be pressured into having sex? Some teenagers think the way out is to have a child... That is the dumbest thing ever to do in this modern world, really. We don't need our population to grow any bigger, we don't need to use our taxpayers money to support an unwanted child, we don't need more drama and sad excuses. There are consequences to stupidity and often the innocent and the onlooking bystanders are the ones to pay the price.
What I want to say is that keep romance innocent when one is a teenager. There's plenty of time for more. With STDs, HIV, unwanted pregnancies, and plenty of unnecessary drama as the consequence of intercourse, why do it?
To avoid teenage romance troubles, parents should always be there to support and reinforce some ground rules, help keep teenage priorities straight while still allowing the teenager to explore and have privacy.
For teenagers, if you keep things simple and innocent, you will often prevent yourself from having future regrets. Like a player? You will only be crushed later. Cheat? Break hearts and face consequences later. Boy/girl stealer? In any case, what you do really is based on your own morals.
All I have to say is to each his or her own. Teenagers have but a few more steps to the future, our future. At every graduation ceremony, you hear the same... "You are our future leaders." You must build a foundation for yourself that is strong so that it doesn't crumble later on.
Do something with your lives. Sometimes, romance troubles can be easily avoided when there is no possession/obsession issues. Just move on. There are six billion people in the world. You are bound to find the right one. Despite love stories of love lasting from childhood to senior age, you are not likely to find the one and only in high school, so to avoid troubling yourself, really just move on. Break ups are not the end of the world. Being single is not something depressing or to be obsessed about. Move on. You have so many bigger problems ahead, teens, so keep romance as simple as sweet as a bike ride, wear a helmet, and you won't be crushed.
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