Kindergarten Playmates
Our parents teach us at a young age to be friendly and play nice with every kid we see. So when we’re in our younger years we make what little connections our silly naive minds can make; whether it be saying the boy from the playground is your new exclusive “best friend” or calling the little boy in your class that gets your lunchbox for you every day your “boyfriend.” At that age, we didn’t exactly know what those words meant; but hey, at least we’re playing fair!
Grade School Crush
In our awkward grade school years, we begin to have our first signs of puberty–along with our first signs of feelings. We don’t really know what it is at the time; we kind of just subconsciously choose a person and deep inside our bodies we get these weird “feelings” for them. Our tummies become inhabited with butterflies, and our hearts seem to begin their olympic speed training. We can’t talk to our chosen person without getting nervous and sweaty so we mostly just look away or hide whenever they come into our peripheral vision. Everyone has their share of grade school crushes, but we always remember our very first.
Middle School Bae
By the time we promote ourselves from elementary school to middle school/junior high, we think we’re the kings and queens of the world–looking at the elementary school kids and thinking, “Remember when we were young like that?” On the real, we thought we were real grown-ups – grown-ups that could do grown-up things, like be in relationships. Most of us had our first “relationships” at this age. Although, they weren’t as much “relationships” as they were titles. We’d see people talking and hugging and holding hands on the playground, texting and messaging each other when they’re at home, calling each other “bae.” They didn’t do the real grown-up stuff, like going to dinner or movie dates together; but trust, the middle schoolers thought it was the real deal.
High School Sweethearts
When high school hit, so did the dating cliches. We had finally reached an age where we could drive and work to get money to pay for dinners; relationships became more solid. People gossiped about who was dating, who was having sex, who was cheating, etc. We finally were gaining knowledge of relationships and with that, maturity. Come graduation, most people have been in at least one legitimate relationship.
College “Cuddle Buddies”
…And then came college. We move out of our parents’ houses and to a gorgeous campus with tons of gorgeous girls and guys that love to get wasted on the weekends. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: the hookup culture. We call it what we like, but at the end of the day, not too many people are looking for serious, long-lasting relationships in their college years. There are a few exceptions to these college-based hookups, like the back-home-for-vacation hookups and long distance relationships that are usually comprised of strong, in-love, highschool sweethearts.
“The One”
There isn’t a specific timeframe for this one or the next one; it varies for each person. Everyone has that person who they absolutely fall in love with; they are their whole world, their everything–they’re sure that the wedding is going to happen because it’s totally meant to be…and then it turns out they’re not. The person we thought was the one, wasn’t actually the one. And after we realize and accept that they weren’t really The One, then we become stronger, wiser, and even happier.
The Actual One
If we haven’t already, one day we’re going to find the person that truly makes our lives. They are supportive, respectful, adorable…everything we want in a partner. They are the person that makes us go back and think about all those past relationships and be glad that they’re in the past.
Keep on loving, my lovelies!