True Love at 12

As a middle school intern, I get to hear about "true love" every day! My sweet girls that I used to babysit are now boy crazy and convinced that they are Juliet and he is Romeo! Unfortunately for them, they don't quite know what happens at the end of the play. Hint: Gnomeo and Juliet changed the ending a bit... Just a bit. But nevertheless, these girls are positive that their boy can do no wrong and that their relationship will stand the test of time.
Ready for an awesome story? Okay. At camp last week, one of my girls was SO excited! She was going on an icee date with this suuuper cute 6th grade boy. Naturally, I was asking her questions about it, and she said "Well, there's not much pressure. I already have a boyfriend. I'm just seeing if there might be anything between us." Uhhh.... What? You have a boyfriend and you're going on a date with this guy? "Well, he's cuter." Oh. Right. He's a 12 year old Adonis! I forgot. So, she gets all primped and ready for this date and the boy-- in true 12-year-old-boy fashion-- ditches her to hang out with his buds. So here I am now, dealing with a broken hearted 6th grader who already has a boyfriend but wanted to see how things developed with this other guy... How do you talk to a 6th grader about adultery? Is there a book on that?! Let me know if you find one.
So badly I want to take all of my girls and lock them in a tower far away and give them classes on True Love Waits and how dating before you graduate high school is absolutely pointless!! These precious girls throw their whole hearts into these relationships that-- at the very most-- last 3 weeks. It breaks my heart every day to watch them throw themselves into these pointless romances. No matter how many times I tell them "You know, girls, I didn't go on my first date until I was 18 years old and I'm still alive!" they just laugh in my face and tell me that they would DIE if they had to wait that long!! Right. So in the mean time, they have Mom pick up the boy at 4:30 because he has to be home by 7:00-- before the street lights come on.
Every now and then you hear a story of a couple that has been together since birth... But we don't live in a Cory and Topanga world-- we live in reality. A reality where dating is called "practice" for marriage, and the more people you date-- the better! Oh, how that shatters my heart and sets my teeth on edge!! My girls have such screwed up perceptions of what a relationship is and what the purpose of it all is: marriage!! Marriage is the end game for dating! Do you really think that as 12 year olds, they're thinking about marriage? No! Of course not! They're thinking about tummy butterflies and how he makes her feel good. If we can change their views on dating and show them how important it is to wait... Well, I think we'll have a revolution on our hands!! Odds are, the boys they're dating now... Won't make the cut. Most prepubescent boys don't really look like husband material. Give 'em a few years, though... They might surprise you!!
I've learned more about true love this past month than in 19 years of existence... It's amazing what you can learn from a 12 year old. Apparently, I've been approaching dating wrong! All I have to do is text him all the time, ignore him in public, and tell all my friends we're in love, and POOF! Perfect relationship. The more you know, right?

Shelby
1 Corinthians 10:13