Love...is natural

Parent's mind voice : Damn this Valentine's Day...... So many people have put up what's app status on it... What if my teen sees it...? What if my kid thinks having a girlfriend/ boyfriend is perfectly okay... What if my teen is already in love??..ARGHHHH .

Let's not look at love as a topic on and for Valentine’s Day alone. It's important for parents to discuss it with children age appropriately.

We all expect love . A loveless life is something unimaginable even for grownups. But adults experience love through care, kindness, empathy, compassion , material,etc. For young children the word love is when they get their basic life needs and safety by parents and other care givers. But as they grow up and reach their teenage, they start perceiving and experiencing love beyond the safe walls of the home and through other people of opposite or same gender. Hence taking it up as a topic of discussion and expression about love (especially teen love) ; from both the child and the adult perspective is very very important.

Teen love is natural . Avoid judging and condemning our teens or their friends who are in a romantic relationship.

We need to initiate an open conversation and enquire on their take on LOVE and on having boyfriends or girlfriends.

• Listen first and later slowly introduce topics like romance , infatuation, sexual attraction etc and also the safe and unsafe aspects of it .(Highlight any recent examples if you can).

• Discuss about pregnancy, it's impact and about rules / limits/ boundaries to be kept and adhered to , to avoid unnecessary physical and emotional trauma and to make sure the relationship is in safe limits.

• Warn them about heart aches and heart breaks too.

• Encourage their self-love, self care and other engaging activities to ensure that your child's self-esteem is high.

• Overall discuss about impact of such relationships on their academics , emotional health and their day to day life and activities.

• Let’s positively emphasize on the importance of "friendship" at their teenage and how it should gradually grow into trustworthy relationships and families later in life.

Love is basic for all existence, so let's make sure our young ones are equipped well to understand the physical, emotional and mental changes happening in them and also help them to manage and navigate it with our unconditional love and support.

Article written by Deepa Aravind , Co-Founder, HEAL Foundation