High School Sweetheart- "My Parents Ruined Love"
Inspired by the section of The New York Times known as “Modern Love”.
By MacKenzie Pisani, reporter
Inspired by the section of The New York Times known as “Modern Love”.
By MacKenzie Pisani, reporter
Every teen knows the feeling; looking at their parents and realizing how different, yet equally the same you are. But, how does this affect your love life? Do your parents impact who you date, who you are attracted to, or who you fall in love with? My interviewee argues yes.
When I asked her to talk about her parent’s relationship, she described it pretty harshly. “growing up, they didn’t really have the dynamic, like the perfect home.” Obviously no one has the perfect home, but perhaps the expectations of the ‘white picket fence’ family have warped our view of “perfect”. Nevertheless, if two people aren’t happy, why do they stay together? As she continued to describe their relationship, she made it seem as though she believed her parents were together just for onlooking eyes. In America, in the year 2020, are relationships still held together simply for looks?
Every teen probably sees a different side of their parent’s relationship from what they present to the public, but how much could that really do? Could it impact your own relationships? Again, my interviewee claims that it absolutely can. She believes that her parent’s warped relationship made her give up on love. She found herself with a boy who she has been with for over a year on and off. When I asked her if she was happy, she said “I was.” Her relationship with him continues today, but why, if she isn’t happy? Could it be her parent’s relationship rubbing off on her?
You hear all the time that you get the love you think you deserve, so why doesn’t she think she deserves better? But again, if the only relationship you see up close is perceived as bad or unhappy, maybe you begin to believe that a happy relationship isn’t really possible, all of that is just a fantasy.
Especially in the world of high school, where “talking”, “goals”, and “ghosting” thwart the dating scene, it is becoming eerily possible that teens are giving up on love. Look at your own relationships. Do you see any parallels with your parents’ relationship? Are you okay with that?
Please keep in mind that this story does not apply to everyone. We hope that we can connect students through stories such as this and show them how similar they may be, no matter what cliques they run in. Please never forget to love fiercely, no matter what or who you love, and to never settle for less than what you deserve.
When I asked her to talk about her parent’s relationship, she described it pretty harshly. “growing up, they didn’t really have the dynamic, like the perfect home.” Obviously no one has the perfect home, but perhaps the expectations of the ‘white picket fence’ family have warped our view of “perfect”. Nevertheless, if two people aren’t happy, why do they stay together? As she continued to describe their relationship, she made it seem as though she believed her parents were together just for onlooking eyes. In America, in the year 2020, are relationships still held together simply for looks?
Every teen probably sees a different side of their parent’s relationship from what they present to the public, but how much could that really do? Could it impact your own relationships? Again, my interviewee claims that it absolutely can. She believes that her parent’s warped relationship made her give up on love. She found herself with a boy who she has been with for over a year on and off. When I asked her if she was happy, she said “I was.” Her relationship with him continues today, but why, if she isn’t happy? Could it be her parent’s relationship rubbing off on her?
You hear all the time that you get the love you think you deserve, so why doesn’t she think she deserves better? But again, if the only relationship you see up close is perceived as bad or unhappy, maybe you begin to believe that a happy relationship isn’t really possible, all of that is just a fantasy.
Especially in the world of high school, where “talking”, “goals”, and “ghosting” thwart the dating scene, it is becoming eerily possible that teens are giving up on love. Look at your own relationships. Do you see any parallels with your parents’ relationship? Are you okay with that?
Please keep in mind that this story does not apply to everyone. We hope that we can connect students through stories such as this and show them how similar they may be, no matter what cliques they run in. Please never forget to love fiercely, no matter what or who you love, and to never settle for less than what you deserve.