Romance and Relationships

Growing up I never really understood the meaning of romance or what it meant to be in a relationship. I understood that my mom and dad were married and they loved each other, but I didn’t understand what that meant when I was younger. On the other hand, I believe that my mother was the one who truly taught me about romance and relationships.
Middle school was when I knew what a relationship was but it was the kind of relationship that didn’t really mean much. I would get into relationships in middle school but to me, they were just relationships with friends; they weren’t romantic ones. When I entered high school I was more excited about relationships because I was older. I had my first real relationship when I was a junior with a guy who was a year younger than I was. I believe he shaped my view of a romance and relationships because he was not. My mom told me that in order for me to understand romance I would have to explore it. I started to understand the sexual schemas that are associated with me when I left my first relationship experience. Later, when I was a sophomore in college, I had the opportunity to see many romance incidents and relationships. I began my next relationship at this time and I am still in it today. My mother was the one who told me that relationships will come and go and one day I would stay in one for the rest of my life.
I really look up to my mother because my father and she are high school sweethearts. They act like brother and sister but one can tell by looking at them that they love each other so much. I believe their relationship has taught me about romance and what it should look like. I also feel that they developed their own sexual scripts, guidelines for sexual behavior, through their relationship. I now feel that I have a better understanding of what a romantic relationship should look like.