12 Years In....
disney love GIF by Mickey MouseGiphyPretty great we met when we were 17, started dating at 18.
Been 12 years in which we have done long distance over different continents for 2 years, gotten married, had a kid, bought a house and currently sharing a bag of chips while watching IT Crowd.
We have both changed and matured and fought and laughed and cried together has been wonderful.
My BFF
In my case, pretty awesome actually.
We met when we were 15, started dating at 16, engaged at 22. Been married almost 25 years now.
I'll admit it takes a lot of work. There's always something either internal or external to the relationship itself to deal with, but you do. I've never fallen out of love with her, and it makes the bad times better, and the good times amazing.
And there's something about spending all those years with the same person, and then they surprise you with a skill or some story you never heard, and it's like a reminder of why you married this amazing person in the first place.
She's my best friend, and I absolutely cannot imagine my life without her.
past the angst....
It's pretty great. I met her when I was 14 and am now almost 30. I've known her more than half of my life and consider myself lucky to get to share the rest with her. Our first child is due in February and I still think back to high school when we were just two angsty scene kids unaware what the future had in store for us.
sexy man GIFHave spent our teenage years together, navigated our twenties, traversed our thirties and are currently slaying our forties.
We are both completely different people than we were almost 30 years ago but our core values and morals are still the same.
But I got lucky. I hooked up with a pimply, badly dressed teenager who has morphed into the most handsome mid 40s man I know... he's now definitely at 10/10.
The Back and Forth
Doing well here. Although I did move away when I was 18 for 6 years. In that time we both lived separate lives apart. When I moved back we were both single, got back together. Been together for 10 years have 2 kids as well as foster 2 more.
Had something very similar happen here! He moved away for college. We spent 7 years apart. I like to describe it as we had to grow up before we could grow together.
the lucky one
Met when we were 17, started going out together at late 18 years old. Married 32 years, best decision I have ever made. Together we have raised a great son. I know she has my back but will definitely let me know when I'm being a moron. Perhaps the reason we have lasted this long is that I still think I am lucky to have her in my life.
Memories....
romance kiss GIFGiphyI met my husband when we were 14!!! Married 20, together 30 years now.
I like to hike and I've seen him go from no hair on his chest, to hair, and now it's silver. I agree it's pretty great having a lifetime of shared memories. What's kinda crazy though is that when I looked into his eyes one afternoon in late February 1990, I could see 20, 40 even 60 years in the future, and his eyes were still the same fun, mischievous and kind eyes, and that's the moment I knew I had to marry him. Took him about 8 years to figure it out.
In Deep
It's pretty amazing. It's a love that develops and changes over time. We got together in 2004 when we were 15/16. Married now for 7 years with 2 kids.
It's a deep love, but sometimes little flashes sneak up like yesterday he was washing the dishes and singing Epiphany from Sweeney Todd and I just had this overwhelming feeling of "this is why I love this man."
The growing together and the doing things together, constantly being at the same stage in life has been amazing.
It's also been great recently supporting each other going back in to education and taking it in turns to piece each other back together. For me, the most important things for us to have made it this far is us developing as our own person out with our relationship. Last year, we survived a pretty awful period where we loved each other, but things were just so distant and off. Thankfully we were able to push through and work things out.
And the biggest piece of advice that has stood us well so far has been to never sleep on an argument.
Love Lost
Not as good as divorcing her 6 years later. As we continued to grow up and become adults external from the relationship, within the relationship we stayed petty high schoolers. We yelled and screamed at each other and then would just have sex to fix it, which never actually fixed anything.
We broke up over 15 years ago and I have had on again, off again contact with her since. Last time we stopped talking I found out she still thinks I'm the reason for all the bad decisions and bad things that happen in her life and she told me straight up she wished we had never been a couple. I don't need that.
Being Sure
patrick swayze ghost GIFGiphyHe's my best friend. We dated on and off and were friends since high school, got married after nearly a decade of making sure we were right for each other.
All the Reasons....
Pretty fantastic. We started dating when we were 15/16, and got married eventually at 30/31. Been married 12 years now.
Not great stuff: He's only kissed one person besides me. I have had other relationships- we broke up lots between 16-25, and I had one very serious relationship in there. I have slept with other people, and negotiated dating different people and being in love with someone else. I have always worried he would be happier/more fulfilled if he was making a more informed choice. He laughs and says I am his informed choice.
I also could be the very best at something. He doesn't know that- this is just how it is for him. I suppose the reverse would be true too- I could just suck at so many things. He doesn't know. To consider breaking up or losing him- he's been the center of my life since I was just past childhood, long before I was an adult. I literally do not know who I am without him.
The best stuff- I know everything about him. He knows everything about me. We have been together for nearly every important event of our lives, or immediately told the other one about it. The closeness and intimacy are beyond what I think they could be with someone I didn't grow up with. When I said above that I don't know who I am without him- I am not who I am without him. It's like keeping part of who I am inside someone else's body. The reverse is true. We're still very independent, but at the quiet center of who I am, he's there too.
The intensity I feel about him has only deepened. I had an obsessive hormonal teenage crush. It never went away. I love him with a firey passion, but also with maturity, compassion, understanding and respect. To get to be with him for almost the entirety of our lives is a delight that I can't really express.
So far.... so good....
Love Kiss GIF by molehillGiphyGreatest decision I ever made. Met her in 4th grade, didn't start dating until we were 17. Did long distance for two years in college. Transferred schools together. Moved across the country together. Marriage, two kids and dog. Seems to have worked out for us so far.
Home
Comfortable. We dated in high school and then were out of touch for 23 years. When we reunited and subsequently got married, it felt just like going home.
My Queen
Married a high school sweetheart. She was the prom queen, lead actress in drama attracted boys like moths to a street light. Neener neener, none of the jocks, scholars, or rich guys could capture her heart. Just passed the 30 year anniversary. We married late, she 34, me 29, first and only marriage for both of us.
That Man of Mine
We are not married, but i am still together with my high school sweetheart. I can't imagine we will be apart 'until death do us part'. he was my first everything and sometimes I do wonder what being with other people would have been like. I really miss that euphoric feeling of new relationship and we are addicted to each other. he takes good care of me. I love him.
Parks And Recreation Donna GIFI'm very happy. It's fun to explain the story of how we met and started dating, or causally drop 'well, we've been together 18 years' and watch people try to do the math. We joke about it a lot.
Dale Gribble voice: 'Are you attempting to know me? I am unknowable.' '18 years, hon.' ''Oh yeah.'
44 years in....
Not me, but my parents. They started dating in High School, and got married when they were 19 and 20.
They went through rough patches here and there, but at the end of the day, all they ever wanted to do was make each other happy. They raised 3 kids that all turned out just fine (if I do say so myself).
On their 44th wedding anniversary, my Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 non small-cell lung cancer. From the day of her diagnosis, she was basically bedridden.
She needed help going to the bathroom and showering. Suddenly, my Dad was thrust into the caretaker role that my Mother had been in her whole entire life, and he excelled at it. He was there for her every single day. If he didn't know how to do something, he would ask someone that could teach him. 8 months after her diagnosis, my mom passed. The love and respect that the two of them had for each other was exceptional.
Challengers
I have to agree with most commenters, it's great. I met my wife when we were 16 and we have been together for 14 years, just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. We're best friends, we know everything about each other, we're aligned on almost every issue (religiously, politically, how to raise kids, etc.) because we challenged each other as we grew up. 10/10 would do it again.
Since Grade School....
Known each other since grade school. I (28/m) and her (27/f) have been together for 10 years now and married for 4. 2 kids later (8 and 2) and there's nobody I'd rather be doing it with. Second child was born with a severe heart defect and spent months in the hospital.
Going through hard times like that make you appreciate the good times together even more.
Even though we both wonder if we missed out on a bit of our youth by being in a committed relationship and having kids early we both know that are happy that we got to grow and mature together. Wouldn't change it for the world.
Look Closer
Look Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphyGreat, but I would recommend waiting until you both are 25 at least and then have a good look at each other. Your character normally develops until this age.
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