Can We Fall In Love At 17?

[Rachel Izydorek]

          As you walk down the halls you can see couples everywhere. They're holding hands, walking together, kissing goodbye, or running late to class. Later that evening you look on facebook and you see it's so and so's anniversary and they're professing their love via statuses and wall posts. Check their phones and you'll see the same "I love you so much <3" messages. They say they love each other everyday, but are they really in love? Or are they just saying those three important words because they think they should?

          Hollywood has done a great job embodying the ideal "love story" there are a million romantic movies out there that tell viewers what love should look like and how it should feel. The problem is that these movies are often geared towards teenagers, making them believe that love will come naturally and easily and it should feel like this or like that. Unfortunately what movies don't tell us is that love isn't perfect and it can be hard and that nobody is going to turn around in the airport, run out the doors into the pouring rain, stop the cab you're riding in (he's such a genius knowing exactly which one you're in), tell you how much he loves you and then kiss you. 

         Nicholas Sparks. Writer of the best love stories I've ever read. His stories are about teenagers who find love, and loose it all too easily. A Walk to Remember, Dear John, The Last Song, The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Bend in the Road, and Nights in Rodanthe are just a few of his books. These are all books I love and I always get wrapped up in the characters and their lives, but Nicholas Sparks has given teenage girls everywhere a false idea of love. 

         If you need another example of how teenagers are told what love should feel like, look no further than Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Matt Wertz, Dave Barnes, Boys Like Girls, and Justin Bieber. Music is supposed to invoke a feeling and that then teaches our minds to believe that Taylor really was just so enchanted to meet him and that everyday is a fairytale. Or that Bruno Mars would really jump in front of a train for her, and so of course you would put your hand on a blade for your significant other. That makes it sound really childish, but have you ever said something along the lines of "this song describes me/my life" when you heard a love song? Sometimes people try to fit their love situations into those described in songs. It's something we've been believing since the Backstreet Boys told us to quit playing games with their hearts.

         So I have a question. Can we really fall in love at 17 and have the "perfect storybook love?" Is love really like the movies? We have been fed these ideas of perfect love, but is it possible?

 

 

 

[Lauren Andersen]

I agree with kirstina too. I think love can exist at any age. A lot of my friends' parents have told me they were high school sweet-hearts. My spanish teacher (Mrs. Houchins for anyone who wants to know) recently told my class that her husband and her live the perfect Hollywood-story life. He was the captin of the football team and she was the captin of the cheerleading squad. They dated in highschool and are now both married high school teachers. They're not the only couple like that I know as well. I completely believe  Hollywood love exists, and I also believe that it comes in other ways, but yes, I do think people can fall in love at 17.

[Joaquin Zuniga]

Like Kristina said, love can exist at any age with anyone. Just because you are young doesn't mean you cannot love another teenager. Just because there have been cases of two-weeks relationships and all they say is "I love you" doesn't mean that all teenage relationships can't experience love. Adults still get married and say that they love each other, but look at the divorce rate inthe United States, it is 50%! Love can exist at anytime, by anyone.

[Patrick Norman]

i dont know what to think about this. yes i believe that most teens dont know anything about love and preceve it wrong. I think regardless of age you can fall into love.

[Kristina Lopez]

I believe love can exist at all ages. I have been in a relationship for two and a half years, which is not easy in high school. Relationships take time and work to form. I'm not here to lecture on how to do this, but I agree that some people are ridiculous when it comes to relationships.

[Michael McWilliams]

I think it can happen but most people don't get what it is to have a lasting bond to another. It maybe something that just clicks between two people or just hard work and give and take to make it happen.

[Grace Stapleton]

I think that it's possible but I think you're right. It doesn't come easy. A lot of teens get in relationships for fun when in reality, they barely even know the person. I've been dating my boyfriend for over a year now and it took him a while to say "I love you" because he wanted to be sure that he meant it. And he does mean it still. It's a great thing to have a relationship young, although it may be heart breaking. It's just one of those life lessons.