This morning I met with a great group of teens and we talked about Healthy Relationships.  We covered topics such as My Relationship Map, The 3 Magic Words, Infatuation vs. Love and the Developmental Stages of First Love.

One young man asked a great question:  “How can you tell when you’ve moved from the Infatuation stage of a relationship into the Love stage?”

I explained that as infatuation fades into real love, partners begin to see each other’s flaws, whereas before they only saw the amazing things about each other.  As they each fall off the respective pedestals they had been so wonderfully perched on, opportunities for conflict and compromise begin to appear.
Often relationships end right here.  These first signs of ‘trouble” and it’s over!  Because that fantasy of finding perfection, comes crashing down.

A relationship moves into a more mature place of understanding, compromise and conflict management.  It’s from these realizations that real love begins to form.  There is now a you, a me, and our relationship.   Decision making or choices going forward. considers all three.

Join me at an upcoming class to learn more.  Or schedule a consultation for a more private conversation about your specific relationship questions.