Have you ever had a crush before? Seeing them walk through the school halls, suddenly your heart sinks into your stomach and you can't breathe. You wonder if you should go talk to them? They glance at you then all of a sudden it's the best day of your life! They finally noticed you. That used to be me too. 

Not anymore, nowadays that is not what having a crush feels like. There is so much more to it. The feelings of romantic love at a young age most commonly called having a crush are normalized today. But as a society, we seem to not notice the other side of things. It's not all flowers and heart-shaped chocolates for everyone. 

Relationships are starting to get complicated; everyone sends mixed signals so you never know if they like you or just like the idea of you. Even worse, the thought of you being obsessed with them. Mental health and everyone's peace of mind should be prioritized. 

Younger teen boys find dating difficult to handle. Boys fall in love more often than girls but feel less intimacy. This causes misleading feelings. Boys don't have an opportunity to process all their feelings and emotions. But why stay in a relationship? “pressure from most of my guy friends,”  says teen boys. At some point having a crush or feeling the pressure to pursue another becomes stressful. 

Teens are not mature enough to make good relationship decisions, "Nearly two-thirds of both boys and girls reported dating violence during their teenage years". Unhealthy relationship habits lead to mental and physical health conditions in adulthood. Unhealthy relationship habits start now. Normalizing unhealthy relationship habits like obsessions and being unaware that they are manipulating you should be prevented. Where would you want to be in two years? Divorced with two kids or in a healthy marriage? 

Although being in a relationship at a young age is stressful there is an importance to it. ”It is now well-evidenced that adolescent romance is an important developmental marker”, this proves that being in a relationship at a young age and having some kind of intimacy with another person is important in developing self-identity and forming a capacity for intimacy. Teens can always use prior relationships to learn and grow to make the next better. 

Parents should involve themselves in their teens' relationships to make sure they are creating healthy relationship habits. Teens should not have to stress about being in a relationship at a young age or stress about fixing their relationship. Having a crush should be simple and fun. 

Works Cited

 Stevens, Heidi. "Young Love's Dark Side." Chicago Tribune, Feb 24, 2013, pp. 20. ProQuest, proquest.com/newspapers/young-loves-dark-side/docview/2266125162/se-2

Price, Megan, et al. "Young Love: Romantic Concerns and Associated Mental Health Issues among Adolescent Help-Seekers." Behavioral Sciences, vol. 6, no. 2, 2016, pp. 9-n/a. ProQuest, proquest.com/scholarly-journals/young-love-romantic-concerns-associated-mental/docview /1864089377/se-2, doi:doi.org/10.3390/bs6020009. 

Fleurima, Farah. "Not quite Ready for Romance." Dallas Morning News, Mar 03, 2000, pp. 1C-2C. ProQuest, proquest.com/newspapers/not-quite-ready-romance/docview/2262284113/se-2.