Alright, so, as it's probably helpful to know a little info about me, I'm 16, female. And I'm in love, I know it, I can feel it's true just as surely as I know that 2 x 2 = 4. I find myself having a whole new perspective, a whole new outlook, on life. I realize that whatever happens, it's going to be alright, because I'll have someone there by my side who I can trust with anyone, and we can be there for eachother through whatever happens. (btw, Thanks to anyone who answered my previous question, the answers have helped me realize that going to seperate colleges, while tough, is something we can handle.) Now, I know he loves me, and he talks as though whatever happens, we'll always be there for eachother, but am I doing the right thing? I mean, there doesn't seem to be a doubt in my mind about this, or him, or whether this is the real deal. But I feel like I should just step back and take one more look, I mean, I'm 16, and this isn't something that usually happens at this age. Any thoughts?

This is my opinion on love, if it helps at all:
No one can ever describe love "correctly" or "incorrectly". This is because every person has a different definition of "love". "Love" has many different degrees. It depends on how strong you believe in the word.

Loving someone can mean ANYTHING. You can love someone romantically, or you can love someone as a friend, or as a role model, or as a family member, etc. When you're "in love" it does depend on how you're using it. If you say you love your mom, or family members, of course you're "in love". But most commonly, "in love" is only used for a "lover" or someone you're having a "relationship" with.

Love is when you love that person no matter what. You can't suddenly "fall out of love" with that person. You shouldn't just like this person just because of their looks or something superficial.

This person does NOT make you insecure or self-conscious, they should make you LESS insecure and self-conscious. They should make you feel GOOD about yourself. Not only this, but you should do the SAME for them as well. It's a you-get- and you-give- relationship.

Think about WHY you love this person. Are they good reasons? It helps to look into the future. Is this guy HUSBAND material? If the answer is no, don't bother wasting your time on someone you can't see yourself with.

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I feel the same. And I'm younger, I turn sixteen this December. I feel like I LOVE this guy, and no matter what happens (even if we broke up) I feel I will always love him. I love life now. I feel differently about love and dating. I've even been helping people figure out what love really is. And sometimes I think to myself, maybe I should slow down because I'm still very young and what if this ends in heart break? But I'm past that now because I realized that no matter what I will never regret loving him. He's changed my life. Whether it works out or not, I will always be glad this happened and I will have come out of it as a different person with new experiences. That's important isn't it?