"I love him! We're going to be together forever and ever! He's so cute and we've been going out for two whole weeks! I just know he's The One!"
One month later ...
"Oh I hate him! He's the biggest jerk! I never even liked him; I just went out with him because I didn't want to hurt his feelings!"
Oh really? Because that's not what you were saying less than a month ago.
There's nothing that frustrates me more than hearing someone say they're in love before they even find out a person's middle name. How can you fall in love and two weeks later hate a person? You can't because you were never in love in the first place!
It seems to me that the word "love" has lost all meaning. Love is a powerful force that can change the world, not some silly little high school girl skipping around because a boy told her she was pretty.
The reality is that most confuse the feelings of love and lust, so the word love gets thrown around as if it is nothing. How long does it take to fall in love?
"I think it depends on the relationship. Some people are so in love with being in love that they don't even know how they feel about their significant other," says Sheena Reiche, a senior of Electronic High School.
When you are in love, there won't be any question as to whether it is real or not, and if two weeks later you feel differently, then it was lust and not love.
Ultimately the goal in dating is to find who you want to someday marry but in high school, the goal is simply to have fun.
"I think it's good for teens to date. They'll get out and meet people and grow as a person," says Reiche.
"Dating helps you interact with other people of the opposite sex in a fun a way," adds Cecelia Ostmark, a sophomore at Bonneville High.
Teen years are full of changes and discovering who you are. We all want to believe we're going to marry our high school sweetheart and be with him or her forever. But it's inevitable that most teenage relationships will come to an end, due to circumstances or the nature of young naÃØve love.
Graduating seniors go to college, often out of state; parental influence, changing interests and many other factors all make teenage relationships a gamble.
The stereotypical teen relationship is a risk that more than likely will result in failure. However we often don't take into account the relationships that do last.
Just like no two snowflakes are alike, no teenagers are alike. It isn't unheard of for a select few teens to be remarkably mature. Yet relationships are complicated and although many factors make them a risk for teens, sometimes they are a risk worth taking.
There is something that can be learned from dating a person no matter the outcome.
When a teen relationship ends it feels as if your world is over. However, every end is the start of a new beginning. Although it does not feel like it, we're still young and have our lives ahead of us.
Don't worry about finding your happy ending yet because more than likely your happy ending will come when you least expect it.
Dating is fun and sometimes you may really be in love but don't let the pressures of society make that decision for you.
Date when you're ready and falling in love will happen when it happens.
Caitlynn Kindall is a sophomore at Ogden High School who enjoys softball and debate. E-mail her at cuteboardgirl95@msn.com.
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