Monday, June 11, 2007

JUDY IN BIRMINGHAM, ALA.

DEAR ABBY: Is 16 too young to know you're truly in love? My boyfriend, "Miles," and I both feel that we're truly in love and want to spend the rest of our lives together. We realize that it will be a few years at the least before we can marry, but we're willing to wait.

My older sister laughs at me when I say that I know I'm in love. She says I am way too young, and I need to be older and more mature -- like she is -- to understand. She's 17 1/2, so she's really not that much older.

I have a large picture of Miles in our room, and when she has friends over, she points at it and says, "That's Judy's true love forever," and they all laugh about it. Can you be truly in love at my age? -- JUDY IN BIRMINGHAM, ALA.

It's hard NOT to be truly in love when you're 16.

Your big concern isn't how to enjoy true love for the rest of your life. You need to start re-thinking this whole getting married in a few years thing. There are laws against drinking alcohol before you're 21 years old, but apparently the teenage years are still acceptable for making legally binding lifelong committments. It's certainly not going to damper your true love to wait until you can legally consume champagne at your wedding.

My guess is that you'll be able to drive each other nuts before then with inflated, unrealistic expectations. Or Miles will be so mortified to find a large photo hanging in your room that he'll start talking about "needing space."

Your advice, readers?

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