The journey from the bus station to my house in the evenings is always an interesting one. The streets are usually lined with young couples in awkwardly intimate positions. By “young” I mean just that; boys and girls that could be as young as 14. The boy usually has his arms around the girl’s waist while she giggles and mumbles words unknown to me.
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| Source: vi.sualize.us |
Sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me and I find myself closely walking past them to eavesdrop. I swear one of these meetings’ policies is to suddenly keep quiet whenever anyone walks past. Though the content of their conversations remains a mystery, I always imagine neglected home work, a stressed mother and a very high possibility of an addition to our staggering teenage pregnancy rate.
It does not take a qualified psychologist to understand that any teenager’s mentality is not mature enough to deal with all the components of romance. I won’t even dwell on the sexual side of things. So the running of these relations between these kids is always a wonder.
Perhaps with all the constant evolution of our world, society’s take on relationships has seen some drastic changes as well? Perhaps romance, with its sexual association, is no longer enjoyed by two mature individuals who share a clear understanding of its implications. Could it happen that love has now gained a new meaning, one that does not involve responsibility, care and respect?
I don’t know.
However, I do know that at 14, the last thing on my mind was a relationship. Avoiding punishment by mother I kept my homework and chores as my priorities. You could say I was not a very smart child because my basic understanding of relationship was that it was about sex – something I believed to be sacred and even forbidden. I still carry part of that belief, though now it is more informed; of course relationships are not all about sex.
I don’t think those 14 year olds giggling on the street corners understand that though. Their understanding of that concept would be an explanation to the decrease of teenage pregnancy and maybe that of new HIV infections as well.
Very well written piece, but haha we all know that you right well. haha very funny though how you try listen in, they very sexually active these days, not so long ago dating was about writing letters to someone you found cute and had a crush on, and buying them a chomp at break. Now it's about finding someone you want to have sex with cause they "Hot!!"
ReplyDeleteI love all your posts Siya. When I see 14 year olds in relationships I feel sad, I grew up knowing that relationships were for grown ups. And yes,I also still think sex is forbiden and sacred.
ReplyDeleteThanks guys. The way love and sex are perceived lately is really concerning.
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