Come Let Me Love You

I've heard adults say many times that teenagers don't know what it's like to love someone. How could they be so blind as to reject our own emotions? There's this thing we learned about in my "Adult Living" class called the "Love Ladder." Bear with me, as I show you the notes that I took in my class.

The Love Ladder is a process of love development that reaches from the cradle to the grave, meaning that as soon as you're born, you start to love, and you love until you pass away.

1. Self-Love- The first person you loved was yourself.
2. Love of Nurturer- The next step in your love ladder, represents your love feeling growing out beyond yourself to include your mom, dad, sister, brother, or even your baby-sitter! Whoever who provides your needs.
3. Love of Entertainer- After babies achieve the love of their nurturer, they come to understand the importance of entertainers, people who read stories, sing songs, etc.
• Please note that I believe(this being my opinion) that this love is being corrupted due to our constant time on computers, smartphones, and video games, instead of giving time to our friends and family.
• Love of Entertainer... not Entertainment
4. Love of Peers- This stage represents when children play with children of the same age outside of home. Physical differences seem to be of little importance according to children at this stage.
5. Love of Same Sex- At this stage, your best friend is most likely to be the same gender as you. At this stage, the opposite sex has 'cooties.' On a field trip, they may hold each other's hand or walk with arms around each other.
6. Love of An Older, Same-Sex Idol- In this stage, the younger child may imitate the dress, walk, talk, and mannerisms of this older person. This person could be a family member, neighbor, or even a celebrity.
7. Love of An Older, Opposite-Sex Person- In this stage, the kid tries flirting with a safe and older person of the opposite gender. Though considered strange, it's a natural and normal stage. The 'heartbreak' can be tragic if the older person misinterprets the attempts of the younger lover.
8. Love of the Opposite Sex in General- "boy crazy," "girl crazy," crushes.
9. Love of One- "Puppy Love," "Being in Love with Love," "infatuation." This stage can also be referred to looking through rose colored glasses. When this type of relationship ends, both parties of the relationship can feel loss and hurt.
10. Love of The One- This final stage is mature and realistic love. This is an ongoing, ever-growing love relationship.

As you can see, everyone can love. Whether we be stuck in the seventh, eighth, or ninth development stages, we are still all working to achieve the tenth stage. Think again when you tell someone that it isn't love. We've been loving ever since we took our first breath.