Do you believe teen love is a waste of time?

1. 54

   peter565posted 9 years ago

   Do you believe teen love is a waste of time?
   
   I was once a teenager myself and I have to conclude teen love is a waste of time. I believe a teenager should not be wasting his time on relationship. I had more then one girl that like me during my senior year, I just told her off, because I believe it is a stupid waste of time for a teenager. If I have kids in the future, I will tell my kids the same thing, don't waste your time on dating. But that is my opinion, what is your opinion on teen love?

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2. 72

   dashingscorpioposted 9 years ago

   
   
   Learning is never a waste of time.
   In hind sight we can see how immature it is for a 15 year old to believe he/she has found their "soul-mate"!
   Even those who go off to college after high school graduation are often naïve enough to believe they will maintain a long distance relationship for the next 4-6 years and eventually marry.
   Most of those relationships end after one or two semesters when one or both of them decide they want to participate in social activities with those on their college campus. They're still evolving and figuring things out.
   Countless times parents have attempted to steer their teens away from seriously getting involved in relationships. Generally it fails because most teens tend to believe they are smarter than their parents. They feel their parents don't know what "true love" is.
   Another factor during the teenage years is raging hormones and sexual awareness. A lot of girls in particular seek to have a bond with the first guy they have sex. In the U.S. the average person loses their virginity at age 17. Most girls don't want their first time to be a "one night stand". It's usually within a serious relationship.
   Teenage love is period of learning about yourself as well as what you want and need from your idea mate. Truth be told most of us (fail our way) to success when it comes to love and relationships.
   To my knowledge there is no evidence that suggests if one avoids serious relationships during their teens they are guaranteed to find their ideal mate their first time out the gate.
   There is nothing wrong with being focused on one's education and career goals while primarily dating around for fun. However there is no reason to "tell someone off" because they want something different from yourself.
   Whatever you don't want another guy may want. It's not about "right" or "wrong" but rather "agree" or "disagree". The goal is to find someone who naturally agrees with us and shares our same values.
   Falling "in love" the first time is easy for most people. The real challenge is allowing themselves to fall "in love" a second or third time after they've been betrayed or had their heart broken. Some folks never completely recover after the first heartache. They never fully allow themselves to be "all in" with another person again. It takes courage to put yourself in a vulnerable place.
   Teenage love is often fantasy love. There are no jobs to work, bills to pay, or emotional baggage.

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3. 66

   Glenis Rixposted 9 years ago

   +dashingscorpio - couldn't agree more. Didn't have any contact with boys until I reached the age of 17, as I attended and all-girls school and didn't have brothers. Then I met someone and wasted the next 7 years, during which time I could have gone to uni and got my degree - instead of having to build a career many years later. I wish that I had concentrated on my education when I was a teenager! A career usually lasts far longer than first love.

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4. 73

   Aime Fposted 9 years ago

   Not at all.  Like dashingscorpio said, it's a learning experience, and a very important one at that.  My dad once told me "don't marry the first person you fall in love with" and I think about it often (and I'm very glad I didn't!).  I, of course, thought that guy I was in love with when I was 16 was "the one" and I told myself that my dad just didn't have a good first relationship, didn't understand why this relationship was special, etc.  It took me many years to figure out why that advice made sense.  But I don't regret the relationship at all, I actually feel like it taught me a lot about how I want to be treated and what's required to keep a healthy relationship with another person.  I may have been a bit wiser to my own wants/needs if I had started dating later, but I think learning the intimate relationship dynamics is something you can only do through experience and I'm not sure that's something I would've wanted to only be learning in my 20s, when most people probably would have a better idea than I would have.
   
   I also think that it's completely natural for teens to want to explore different kinds of relationships and I don't think discouraging that is necessarily healthy. If they don't have any interest in dating, then by all means, don't push it. But if they are curious or want to explore a little bit then I think they should be allowed to without being told it's a waste of time.

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5. 71

   Tusitala Tomposted 9 years ago

   I have a couple of friends who met in their teens, were married in their teens, and are still happily married decades later.  Both are now retired from the workforce.  They had two children and now have several grandchildren.  To my knowledge, neither of them ever 'strayed.'   They met, fell in love and after all these years still love one another very dearly.
   
   So, if this can happen to even one couple in this great big world of ours, then teenage love is NOT a waste of time.

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6. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

   
   
   Yes teenage love and relationships are an UTTER waste of time. The teenage years are for educational and career development.  The teenage years are not for developing relationships.  I staunchly believe that teenagers should not date.  First of all, teenagers are not equipped to handle the emotional, mental, and psychological rigors and ramifications of a relationship.  Many of them vest so much time in relationships which should have been vested in educational and career pursuits. 
   
   I believe that one should explore relationships in one's 20s.   That is the time when one has obtained his/her educational goals and is embarking on a career.  H/she has also the emotional, mental, and psychological maturity to enter into a relationship.  H/she is mature enough to be prepared as far as the relationship goes.  Also, h/she is more ready and more prepared financially than h/she was in his/her teens.   Dating and other relationship exploration should occur in one's 20s with marriage occurring in one's early to mid-30s and parenthood in the mid-30s.

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