She has only feelings of friendship towards me
I love a girl who is 16 years old. Sometimes I think she too loves me but she says she has only feelings of friendship towards me. Sometimes she says that I should control my feelings and we should be friends. My friends are suggesting that I stop talking to her as she is hurting me a lot. I am confused about what I should do. I feel it will be really hard to live without her and stop talking to her.
Ashish (21)
Dear Ashish, the girl you “love” has frankly told you that, at this moment, the best thing to do between yourselves is to “be friends”. Friends can spend time together sharing their life and problems and come to know each other in depth without making any life commitment. At the age of 16 she cannot make such a commitment without the guidance and approval of her parents. A good friendship can go on for a long time, coming to know each other well and understanding each other’s needs and expectations. The final decision of building a lifelong commitment can be made only after you come to know and understand each other well and with the approval of both your families.
Dr Anthony Grugni, MD, was associated with The Teenager Today for nearly three decades in the capacity of youth counsellor.