The Joys and Dangers of a Summer Romance
By Kellie, 16, and Vicky, 15, New Hampshire
Summer is the time to break free from school, commitments, and responsibility, a time to have fun, hang out with your friends, and waste your time away at the beach. Oh, and let's not forget one of the most anticipated things, summer romances. Love is a tricky emotion, and there are some things that feel like love but are much too superficial to be the real thing. Real love takes time and doesn't happen in a short period of time in the summer.
Sometimes summer romances can bloom into what feels like the greatest love of your life. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the fact that summer is so short and sweet, or maybe it's just plain true love when you're not looking, but there's something about love in the summer that makes it exceptional. Though the thought of spending the summer alone or simply with friends may seem a bit boring, you need to weigh the pros and cons of summer romances. Carefully considering a summer romance now may be the best way to prevent heartache later on.
We all tend to make irrational decisions which later on we may regret. It's crucial to take a moment to weigh the joys and dangers of summertime relationships. Although boys might seem like the only major thing in your world right now, think about all of the possible outcomes of becoming sexually active. We aren't trying to nag you like your school nurses or anything, but the shocking reality is that 1 out of 4 teens in the United States has an STD. That averages out to about 3 million teens nationwide. And there are about 150,000 new cases of STDs in people under the age of 25 each year! Our advice to you is to get to know a person before you decide to take things to the next level. And even though you decide to make safe choices, you also don't want to get your heart broken at the end of the day.
Although we all need to take these things into consideration, let's not forget about how much fun a little harmless flirting can be! Just be confident in yourself about who you are. Even if you don't have the perfect supermodel body, just strut your stuff and be proud of who you are. That will catch any guy's attention. Have fun and enjoy your fun in the sun!
Kellie, 16, NH
Vicky, 15, NH
