Young Love, Real Life

Patricia and Dylan Pritchett,two outstanding citizens of Williamsburg, have been together for 44 years. They were married April 10, 1982 but dated for 10 years prior to that. When asked if the intention was to be married when they first started dating, which was in 8th grade, they both answered no. I asked if anyone talked about their relationship or questioned them. Dylan answered “Nah, people understood what we were about and they knew who we were”, Patricia answered “No one ever questioned me, not to my face at least.” They were a year apart in high school so when Patricia left for college they had to learn how to cope. Was it hard to spend that first yeah apart? Patricia said, “It was hard, I didn’t get to see him as often and I had to concentrate on my studies.” Dylan on the other hand had plenty to keep him busy: basketball, fife and drum, and being the SCA president of Lafayette from ’76-’77. When asked if it was hard for him he replied, “No I had the fellas”, his group of friends, which included other Williamsburg natives Lawrence Taylor, Glenn Carter, and Eric Stone. Patricia commented on how he would ride his bike through back roads from Lightfoot all the way to Highland Park before he got a car just to see her, and how he used to walk up and down the hallways outside of her classes to distract her. It amazed me that two people who that were meant to be together found each other so early in life and Dylan reassured me that he only ever had eyes for her.

Addison Mooradian and Evan Lowery have been dating for four and a half years. Things are much different now that they are seniors at two different schools. I asked how she was dealing with the separation, and “hard” was the first word that came to mind. “It’s not as easy as you think. It has definitely tested our trust. It’s good that our schools are kind of close and things have gotten easier with a license,” she explained. I questioned Adison about what the support was like from friends and family. “We actually have a lot of support. We didn’t from our friends at first because we were so young, but then they realized [after time] that we were serious,” she says “but our families have always supported us.” Their future plan is to follow the rules of their religion, but also to see where life takes them. “We’re not going to break up just because we are going to different colleges,” says Addison, “He’s my best friend”. Ultimately whatever happens happens. This young couple is feeling no pressure from the outside world and rightfully so. A strong relationship between two people such as themselves needs no else’s opinion, especially if it’s negative.

Beren Engstrom and Laura Jones have been dating for five and a half months. He’s a junior and she’s a freshman and if the grade gap isn’t enough to discourage them, Laura will be moving to Georgia at the end of the school year. Many would assume that they would go their separate ways, however splitting up is not an option they have considered. I asked how they would cope with such a long distance, to which Laura answered, “We’re going to try to hang out over the summer by him coming to Georgia.” Post high school, Laura plans to stay in Georgia and go to college for nursing while Beren has decided he will enlist in the Navy and, hopefully, be stationed somewhere close to her. When asked if they have a lot of support from family and friends Beren answered, “Oh yeah! My mom adores her. My parents are very hands off so whatever makes me happy, and if it works out in the long run great,” Laura said, “My grandparents love him.” The young couple was eager to explain their love for each other with phrases such as “to the stars and back.” The cynicism of “young love” doesn’t seem to affect Beren much because he doesn’t agree with it. Laura on the other hand had a harder time. She explained how her father believed she was too young to be in love or know the meaning of it, however she says his feelings began to change when he saw how important Beren was to her. The likelihood of survival of a couple this age in this situation is very small. Nevertheless, it is no one’s place to say, love has survived much worse after all.

Denise Ashlock and Tavian Pittman are juniors at Lafayette who have been together for two years. When asked about their relationship they were very open. I inquired if they had thought about plans for their relationship post high school to which they replied, “Yes we’ve both thought about it but never really talked about it,” which isn’t alarming since they still have another year to discuss the topic. I also questioned if they’ve received support for their relationship. “Yes, from family and friends,” they both agreed. I wanted to know their thoughts on the bad reputation “young love” gets from adults. “I don’t pay it any mind,” says Tavian, “I don’t care what people have to say.” Denise feels offended by the cynicism and believes it’s sad that older people view teenagers in love with skepticism. I asked them if they had any advice for other young couples, Tavian said, “Not really, every relationship is different,” while Denise’s simple response was, “Just be with someone you’re happy with.” I wasn’t at all surprised with the maturity with which the couple answered my questions. It was almost as if they felt these things should be a no brainer. Love is love no matter what age you feel it and that is evident with this young couple.

Joanne Owens and her boyfriend, Tyler Shaw, will have been dating for seventeen months on April 18, 2016. Things are much different now that he’s a freshman in college and she’s a senior in high school. When questioned about how it is with them being apart she answered, “It’s hard but he visits enough, we never go more than a month without seeing each other. Texting and FaceTime help.” I also asked if the stereotypical “young love” sentiment from their peers or adults bothers them. “Not really, I don’t pay attention to the negative; we just go with the flow. A relationship depends on the people. You get out what you put in,” says Joanne. Age has proven to be no consequence to this young couple.

Each couple I interviewed had a different situation, however the core of the answers were the same. The classic cynicism from adults on the topic of “young love” hasn’t discouraged any of these couples with relationships ranging from 5 and a half months to 44 years. Sometimes older people assume that teenagers cannot fully understand important concepts at their age. They argue that their brain isn’t fully developed or they are not mature enough. While this can sometimes be true it is not applicable to every young couple. If someone is not involved in that specific relationship it is not their place to criticize it anyhow. “Young love” has garnered a bad reputation over the years due to the typical disapproval of older people, but that hasn’t stopped “young love” from flourishing in today’s society.