Teens » dating http://www.bpl.org/teens Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:42:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Teen Dating Violence: What is Love? http://www.bpl.org/teens/2011/07/20/teen-dating-violence-what-is-love/ http://www.bpl.org/teens/2011/07/20/teen-dating-violence-what-is-love/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:46:59 +0000 Anna http://bplteenblog.wordpress.com/?p=1271 There are a lot of things love is. And there are a lot of things love isn’t. But when you first meet someone who turns you all mushy inside, how do you know if it’s love or not? Here is a comparative list of what love is and what it  isn’t, courtesy of the Melrose Alliance Against Violence (www.maav.org).

Love is…

  • Responsibility
  • Hard Work
  • Pleasure
  • Commitment
  • Caring
  • Honesty
  • Sex
  • Trust
  • Communication
  • Sharing
  • Compromising
  • Closeness
  • Recognizing Differences
  • Vulnerability
  • Openness
  • Respect
  • Friendship
  • Strong Feelings

Love isn’t…

  • Jealousy
  • Possessiveness
  • Pain
  • Violence
  • Sex
  • Obsession
  • Being Selfish
  • Cruelty
  • Getting Pregnant
  • Making Someone Pregnant
  • Dependency
  • Giving Up Yourself
  • Intimidation
  • Scoring
  • Fear
  • Proving Yourself
  • Manipulation
  • Expecting All Your Needs To Be Met

Love can be so many things, but if the words in the second list match your relationship more than those in the first, no matter what your gender, it’s time to get out! Tell someone you can trust, a friend or family member that something wrong is going on, and make sure you have a safe place to go. Should you need to, call the police. They exist to help you, no matter what your situation, no matter who you are. That’s their job.

Want more info on Teen Dating Violence? Check out Melrose Alliance Against Violence at www.maav.org or check back here for more posts in the coming weeks.

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