Love is everywhere. In the car, when a parent drives their child to school. In a sibling’s room, watching a movie together. Shopping with friends, and loaning one of them money to buy a drink. Love is arguably the strongest and most important emotion a person can feel. Each person has a different definition of what love means to them. Love can be based on prior experiences or the lessons someone has been taught. Regardless of where an individual learns about love, it can change how they act in their relationships. Looking inwards and realizing what our idea of love is and where it came from is essential to grow and treat others with the same love that we wish to receive.
The way that a person is raised can change their entire outlook on life. By observing older, trustworthy people, children learn from their actions and how they communicate with one another. Observation sets the framework for what is expected of future relationships. If a parent decides to push problems aside and never communicate, their child might assume that is the healthy thing to do. On the contrary, a parent may address the issue head-on and confront it in a healthy manner. Our observations change our outlook on love and our perception of what is expected in any type of relationship.
Junior Taylor Hubert has experienced highs and lows through past relationships and friendships. Her parents provided her with the necessary tools to navigate the difficulties of relationships during adolescence.
“I see how much my parents work together and put in the effort to make sure that the other person’s happy, and it has really allowed me to realize what I want with somebody,” Hubert said. “They’ve helped me cope with any fights and realize that it isn’t you versus your partner; it’s you and your partner versus the problem.”
Having a strong support system to navigate through difficult situations and relationships is extremely important. It helps us learn how to deal with any problem that may arise. How we are raised and what we are taught defines how we react to and handle certain situations. Being raised with love and positivity can help set a child up for healthier and more positive relationships. Her past friendships and relationships have helped her grow and raised her standards for what she desires in a partner.
“Love can be hurtful and it can be hard,” Hubert said. “The person that I’m dating right now has shown me that the right person does care. As long as you work hard for each other, a relationship can be really, really good.”
Growing from past experiences has helped Hubert ensure that the same mistakes aren’t made. Learning about love from her own experiences has helped her grow into the best possible version of herself.
Finding love in friendships is just as important as romantic relationships. A person’s family will teach them how to treat someone else, which sets up their future social life. Prioritizing and keeping healthy friendships will help both sides feel loved. If someone is not reciprocating the same amount of effort in any relationship, it is important to communicate with them. Learning healthy boundaries as a child sets children up for healthy friendships in their future.
Sophomore Joanna Petmezas is a positive person who never fails to brighten someone’s day. Her family has taught her how to be a good friend and maintain positive relationships, while setting boundaries when necessary.
“My parents always taught me to love and respect everyone, even if they don’t do the same to me, “Petmezas said. “Everyone deserves a chance, and if I can tell someone isn’t a good friend, I won’t waste my time. ”
When navigating friendships, it is important to observe whether or not both people are putting in the same amount of effort. Just like romantic relationships, finding a good friend is not always easy. Love surrounds every kind of relationship, and remembering that friendships are supposed to be positive can help strengthen the bond.
While the people surrounding us provide examples of love every day, it can be a challenge to drown out someone else’s negativity. Social media can have a huge impact on one’s idea of love or what a realistic relationship might look like. The reality of friendships or romantic relationships can turn out to be totally unexpected when compared with what someone sees online.
It is important to be careful when listening to advice on relationships. On social media, anyone can post anything they want, such as relationship advice, personal experiences or red flags to look out for. Just because one person had one experience in a relationship does not mean that it will happen to someone else. If someone posts a TikTok about a bad boyfriend they had, it can make someone else fear it will happen to them.
Sophomore Adeline Coady has been in a healthy and committed relationship for over a year. She has learned valuable lessons about how to keep relationships that are important to her. Even though she is in a secure and healthy relationship, posts on social media can be unsettling.
“I’ll see some things just saying, ‘Oh, your boyfriend doesn’t love you,’ and you see different things in your relationship than anyone else does,” Coady said. “Not everything you see on social media reflects on what your relationship is actually like.”
The only people who matter in a relationship are the partners. Propaganda on various social media platforms can alter what people think about love. Hubert has seen different TikTok posts with the “I hate my boyfriend” joke. She believes that maintaining genuine connections is more important than joking about hating each other.
“Social media takes away the realness of a relationship,” Hubert said. “It doesn’t allow you guys to genuinely be together, and it makes it feel like there’s a third person.”
Since the current generation is so immersed in the online aspect of life, it can be hard not to listen to what others have to say. Everyone has their own opinions, whether they are wanted or not. Hearing others’ perspectives when unneeded can cause unnecessary problems. If someone posts about how amazing their boyfriend or girlfriend is, it can make other people jealous that their partner is not like them.
“If a boy follows a bunch of girls, the girlfriend might get mad at that,” Hubert said. “It has become an epidemic where people need to deserve the most perfect person when really that doesn’t exist.”
Social media can redirect our focus on what all relationships center around: love. Hubert has watched her friends fall into a rabbit hole caused by social media. They would constantly doubt their partner and compare them to others, when those were standards they could never meet. Observing and realizing these problems that social media creates can help a relationship grow.
Family and social media can have huge impacts on how a person feels about love, but a person’s dating experience can also affect it. No one knows exactly how a relationship will be until they are in it and experiencing love. Relationships can teach someone a multitude of things and can help a person mature. From long-term relationships, people learn how to communicate with their partner and become more loving.
Senior Aiden Contreras has been in a healthy relationship for over a year. He has learned about how important communication and the expression of feelings are to keep the relationship happy. His relationship has changed how he perceives love, teaching him how to set standards.
“I have learned what I value in a person, and I have gotten better at being patient and understanding,” Contreras said.
Being in a healthy relationship has shown him what is important for all types of love. He has learned the different actions that demonstrate love and what they mean to him. Now that he has a person that he deeply values in his life, he will not settle for anything less.
Love is found everywhere and perceived in many different ways. The way a person is raised can greatly affect how they act in relationships, just like relationships can greatly affect how a person will act in the future. Love is an important feeling that can teach people meaningful lessons and help them grow into who they will become.
