So many people fall in love during their teenage years. Some relationships last months, some days, some years, and then there are those special ones who stay together pretty much forever.

Now, of course, during these years emotions can be all over the place, but how can you tell someone that they are not in love?

No one can tell you whether or not you're in love, that's not up to them to decide.

Here's a little about my back story:

I'm 19 and in my first relationship so naturally, I questioned for a while if I actually was in love.

How was I supposed to tell?

How long am I supposed to wait until I say, "I love you"?

Do I really mean it when I say it?

I overthought it because I was told so many times that young love is just puppy love. But, as time went on and as I took the time to analyze the relationships that I was surrounded by, it turned out that it really wasn’t that hard to tell.

I spent so much time in my life surrounded by relationships, and I realized that I learned a lot from just being around them.

From watching those around me, I have learned what I want in a relationship and what I don’t want in a relationship.

I learned what a healthy relationship looks like and what a toxic relationship looks like.

I have seen couples go through highs and lows together and come out on top, and I have seen relationships fail.

Most importantly I have kept all of that knowledge in my head and I have come up with what kind of a relationship I want. This tactic has helped me a lot because it allowed me to understand not only relationships but learn about myself in the process.

I’m so glad that I did this because it has allowed me to recognize my emotions a little bit more, and it’s very clear to me that what I’m experiencing is love... not puppy love.

I’m not in the honeymoon stage. I’m in actual love.

I am young, and I am in love.

Young love doesn’t have to have a negative connotation, there’s nothing wrong with being young and in love. It allows you to grow in so many ways with someone and through that learn a lot about yourself during this critical time in your life.

There are going to be relationships that feel so surreal that you swear the person you're with is the only one for you.

There may even be a few people throughout your life that you will feel this way about, and that’s perfectly fine because these experiences will lead you to the actual one you’ve been waiting for.

Take those relationships as learning experiences and strengthen that knowledge about yourself and what you need in a relationship. There may even be a few good ones before you actually find the one.

Sometimes, the person you wouldn’t expect to be the one ends up being the one.

Sometimes, the first one you fall in love with is the one.

It’s really just trial and error.

You will know when you are in love. If someone calls it young love, don’t take it as a negative, it’s perfectly fine to be young and in love.

It’s perfectly fine to say, “I love you” in your first relationship because the only one who can decide if you’re actually in love is you.

Young love, first love, it’s still love, and no one but you can define your relationship.

I am young, I am in love, and it is real.