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Teens & Love
Story by Senior Staff Writer Laura Johnson and Staff Writer Nick Zylstra
Photo illustrations by Joelle McPherson
With Valentine's Day coming up this Monday,
what better time to take a step back and look at
teenage romance? Experimenting with love is as natural
as learning how to walk, and it's a part of a
person's growth. Every generation has its own attitude
towards romance. Traditions change, but the overall essence
of teenage love remains the same. It is not uncommon
for young people to be in romantic relationships...
...Some students believe that teenagers
are experiencing a variety of changes in
high school, and that it is natural for them to
fall in love. Along with physical growth, students
develop emotionally. Romantic relationships pro-
vide a chance for people to learn about themselves, and
each other. "It can be a learning experience
whether the relationship lasts or not," said W.F.
West guidance counselor Denny Daniels. Daniels' advice to young couples is to "take it
slow, learn all about that person you can, learn from each other, and grow through
the experience."
But are high school students
capable of being in love? Opinions vary on this controversial topic. Age,
maturity level, and life experience are factors which impact relationships.
"I don't think love is a matter of
age, but maturity level," said senior Shanna DeVaul.
Senior Iric Hunter agreed with
DeVaul. "Love does not have the restraint of
age," said Hunter. Love is very personal and
is different for everyone. It is possible that there is no "right"
answer to the question "Are high school students capable of being
in love?"
W.F. West junior Allison Cleaveland doesn't think
teenagers are cabable of being in love. She cited age as the primary
reason. "High school students haven't had enough experience in life
and love," said Cleaveland.
Junior Mary Greear agreed with Cleaveland. "I think that
in high school, students get too serious, too soon. I think high
school students shouldn't get serious now because you can't get married.
If all you think about 24/7 is the guy or girl it takes away
from God, school, work, family and friends. Personally I
think it's pointless to date right now."
Love at any age is very personal and the
experience is different for everyone. It is difficult to define
love. "Love is, like, blah; you don't know what it is
until you're actually in it, " said sophomore Michael Ward.
Sophomore Rachel Keen defined romantic
love, or erros, as "strong feelings for someone of the
opposite sex. They [ a boyfriend or girlfriend] are your
best friend, and are always there to talk to. They like you
for you."
"Love is a deep, caring, devotion, and
understanding of another individual who you are connected to in your
life," said W.F. West counselor Brian Adams.
Valentine's Day is a time to express your feelings
regarding love. The most common holiday tradition is to surprise
your sweetheart with candies, roses and cards. However, even without
romance, a person can still enjoy the celebration. Greear
said,"I think it's a good time to think about loving other people,
and helping other people. It's a good time to take a day off to
think about who is significant in your life."
There are many types of love, including family love.
Few would doubt that students are capable of loving their parents
or siblings. "If you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend you
can show your love to family or friends," said Cleaveland.
The history of Valentine's Day is not well-known.
Valentine's Day was named for St. Valentine, who was killed for
his Christian beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church
celebrated with a feast for him on February 14.
By coincidence, the pagan Roman holiday, the Feast
of Lupercalia, was also celebrated in mid - February. In Lupercalia, scantily dressed
men would run through the streets of Rome and whip women who were waiting to be
blessed with children in the upcoming year.
The Roman Catholics didn't
support Lupercalia, so they dropped St.
Valentine's Day. It began to allude to the pagan
celebration, not their saint's death. This holiday
was oficially dropped in 1969, but it continues to have national recognition.
Today, Valentine's Day for many is simply a
time to show your affection to all to those you love
family, friends, or others. Junior Brian Judy said," I guess
high school's a time where kids are growing up and they should
be able to fall in love."
Love through the ages
Age five- Chasing after your crush and then
kissing them all over. § Age eight- Instead of chasing
your crush you begin to kick them, reluctantly. My advise
for those who are young enough to do this or to the
extremely immature, kick before you chase that way
they can't run that fast. § Age ten- Now, most
people chose to ignore their crush. This is probably the
phase your crush likes most. § Age thirteen- you begin
to talk to your crush but the only thing that can come
out is gibberish and nonsense. § Age fifteen-
Now that you've had a little
practice talking to your crush, you can now comfortably talk to your crush.
Congratulations.
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