Teenagers Love!

Is love age defined? Can one ever be too young for love? A question I usually find myself being asked as well as asking, difficult isn’t it?

On asking a teenager Reema who is just 16 years of age, she exclaims, “One can fall in love at any age; there is no time for it!” But is falling in love all that is required to sustain a relationship? Well I think, not!

More than often teens think it’s falling in love and enjoying the moment is all that is needed but it needs to be explained love is growth, it is a motivational force to go along, it is change, it is compromise and above all it is commitment!

Priti Shah, a married woman says, “Just love is not enough for a successful relation, because feelings often fade out over a period of time. A relationship only works on the basis of similar values, goals, ability to let go of one’s ego and to keep the communication channel open even in most difficult times. At times when I see youngsters and their public display of affection I feel like shaking them up and say wake up! Do you have a clue what you’re doing and getting into? And do your parent have clue about this?”

“I love my boyfriend so much he is so cute, I can do anything for him. Just can’t wait to be together forever” said Heena a second year degree college student. On being asked what she wants her future to be like, she seemed very vague, unsure and confused.

Psychologist Priya Thadani says, “Teenagers go through lot of confusion regarding what they want from their future and often a immature relationship at this age adds to the chaos that they are going through. At such a young age they are not even sure about how they perceive their future, therefore it is often impossible for them to make any concrete decisions about what they would want out of it.

Teenage years are growing up years, a time to develop mentally, emotionally as well as intellectually. It’s for this very reason that a relationship entered so young can become disastrous and cause heart aches and traumas for long in youngster.”

Setting aside the flipside of youth passion one plus is the belief that they feel they can conquer the world. “But, mere passion and belief is not enough to sustain the future there are harsher realities. One needs to put tabs on this, parents need to pull up theirs socks as every where you see - be it a coffee shop in-house magazine, a newspaper supplement, a teen magazine, or television shows- they are surrounded by the images and columns dedicated to fashion, dating and pressure to look a certain way, no wonder pressure is killing teenagers. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend for some is not love but a status symbol as well, parents need to look into this and discuss this as its an extremely sensitive issue for their teen,” urges psychologist Simi Roy.

Being in love is not wrong, but sure for all you teens there are some other important commitments as well education, career aspiration, friends, and personality development. There is surely more to a teen life then love!