I used to think....

Hey, I'm Ali and I used to think that this guy is cute.

No seriously, this is not a joke. (Okay, maybe it is....)

Is your first reaction "No no no you're too young to be in love"?

Hey, did I even say I love that guy???

So when I was a kid, I was really touchy about boy-girl feelings, and I thought that if you liked someone of the opposite gender, it's 'loveeeee' and you gotta ask them out, go on a date, etc....yeah. Pretty stupid, huh? But I really stuck to that thought all the way till middle school.

That was when I really got some cool guy friends, and we messed around frequently, and pretty much acted the way I did around girl friends.

Well, then the gossip started.

At first, I was astonished, since we were obviously just friends, nothing else, blah. I mean, it was clear that I behaved the same way around boys that I did around girls, so what was wrong with that?

Then I realized that THIS, was the way I had thought when I was younger. That hit me pretty hard, and when I asked for the gossip to stop, like "Seriously! We're just friends. You're thinking too much into this whole thing", but of course, it didn't work at all.

That created a lot of tension between me and my friends, and a boy and I actually got into a pretty big argument over whether I had a crush on him or not (btw the answer is NO I DID NOT), and we kinda broke up as friends. End of story. Kinda sad, cuz he was really a good person.

It really hurts that I used to gossip too, and really had just no idea how much impact that this has on a pair of friends. Now I really get why people say "We're just friends." Because, in fact, they are just friends, and it's normal for people our age to have friends of the opposite sex, because gender has nothing to do with what you're like.

Parents are the same. Some parents are overprotective of their children, and go "No no no no, you're going to be too mature, too early!" That's just wrong, because what they're saying is that every time a child makes friends, there's a chance that it'll turn into something romantic. Cuz kids are actually pretty innocent, and they don't know exactly what "lover" meant. Maybe to kids, that word only meant for someone that you care about, and the truth is, you can't help caring about people, opposite gender or no.

As a young girl at the age of eight, I used to be really good friends with a guy, and we used to call each other our boy/girlfriend, (yes, mom, dad, you're reading this. I know, don't ask. Primary school incident.) and we even went out together(on a so-called date with our parents watching). Hey, now that I think about it, we were only friends, just good friends.

So....parents, when your child tells you about this cute/hot boy/girl at school, please don't look too much into it. We can appreciate other people's good looks and kind personality, and there's nothing wrong with that. Most people my age can tell the difference between friendship and love, so trust us on this one. And if we really find that we love someone, please don't overreact, because we're not stupid. Crushes come and go, but if we really find someone out there, we'll be rational.

Some parents stress about the fact that their children don't tell them that they have a boyfriend/girlfriend and go crazy when they find out about the secret that's been kept for god knows how long. Hey, do you know why? Because you've probably overreacted about this before, and your child is aware of how much you dislike it. Be open, and aware, though not too prying. Nobody wants another person poking into their "love life", right? Even if it's just friendship.

And on the subject of friends: 

Please, when your child tells you about their friend, please don't ask questions such as "How good are their grades?" "Do they play computer games a lot?" "Are they serious about their studies?" "Do they have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" Cuz these questions....tend to tick people off. We make friends not becaues of what their grades are like, or whether they play games. 

We make friends with people because we share hobbies, or we simply like hanging out with people. 

My friends and I are really different, and to be honest, it's really annoying about how dad asks "How good are their grades?". I lied about that, because I knew that if I told the truth, that some of my friends's grades aren't that good, dad'll go "They'll be a bad influence!" "Stay away!" and stuff like that. 

We have our own way of judging friends, and I promise that I won't go near anyone who does drugs, smokes, or anything like that. My friends are all unique, cool and wonderful in their own way, a way that's not judged by grades or looks, or what they like, so to speak. 

Maybe my parents don't know that much of my guy/girl friends, but I can tell them one thing: I love them all. My friends are all wonderful people, and you have no idea how much I treasure them. Please don't scoff when I get angry or sad when you don't let me go out with them, and please don't judge when I ask for my phone, or time off. I know when things are urgent and I need to help, and I really don't like you prying into the relationships between me and my friends. Thanks. 

Pics of some of my friends and I. I made them myself off the Internet ages ago! Hope you like them, even if they really didn't take a lot of time....

Thanks for reading.

I'm really sorry I turned this in late, but I put a lot of thought into this :D This is for everybody to read.

Yours, 

Annabeth