I don't think 8th graders should be worrying about love.

My personal advice. Don’t try to date until you’re 18-19 or when you feel you are mature enough (it’s different for everyone) Some relationships work out at a young age but it’s rare. Just focus on you and your friends and figure out who you want to be before bringing someone else into your life. Figure out how to be happy without depending on someone else

I think a lot of the difficulty comes from not knowing what love is. It is very difficult to practice anything from ignorance. It is important to know that love is not merely compulsory and spontaneous feelings of affection and eros. [spoiler]Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 ESV[/spoiler] [spoiler]Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. - 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 AMP[/spoiler] [spoiler]Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. - 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NIV[/spoiler] [spoiler]Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. - 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 NLT[/spoiler] I've included the KJV because it uses the term charity instead of love. After reading C.S. Lewis's [i]Four Loves[/i] and G.K. Chesterton's commentary on the concept of charity in [i]Heretics[/i], I have a new appreciation for the term charity as perfect unconditional love. [spoiler]Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7 KJV[/spoiler]

Because self-sacrifice is a huge part of loving someone ([i]really[/i] loving someone, not for personal gain), and we do not think that way naturally, let alone are we taught to think that way. It’s hard to love, and it’s hard to share that love with someone who doesn’t know what it means. [spoiler]But… looking at your responses to some of the comments, how wonderful it is that an ultimate sacrifice was made so that, as we get older, we can better learn how to love as He did. :) Because of that, there is hope.[/spoiler]

It takes two to tango.. But not all can dance.

Wait are you a Christian?

Middle school relationships are cheap and they mean nothing. Wait until you're 17 to date if you want a real experience.

Because you’re in still in middle school🤦🏽🤦🏽🤦🏽 [spoiler]nibbles crayon[/spoiler]

You just need to find someone who respects, appreciates, and values you as much as you do them. Takes a lot of time to build up that sort of relationship, and some people just aren't capable of reciprocating that. You're going to find a lot of worthless individuals along the way to the right person. You might not even find the right person. It's just how it goes. Though, if what I saw is true and you're in middle school, I think you should slow down and not worry about it. Wait 'til you have a job and a car at least.

Cause you have less time to play Doom: Eternal

Like cultmeiser said, fear. There's this girl who Ive been liking for a little while now (she doesn't have any social media so I can't text her which sucks) and I keep on thinking about her but I know I'm too scared to say "hey I like you" y'know

Because nobody likes a finger licker

because life is hard...

Probably because your in middle school

Because fear. We fear rejection, we fear embarrassment for ourselves, we fear we will embarrass the other person, etc. Realistically it would be great if you could just tell someone how you feel about them, and if they don’t feel the same way you should both be able to feel fine, but feelings are complicated and don’t always work in the way we want them to.

Like Cobravert said, reciprocation is hard. A lot of guys can't accept that someone doesn't like them. My nephew really liked this girl, and he asked her out but was told that she didn't like him. Despite that, he kept asking and asking and asking. Now, she hates him. Morale of the story, both people have to want to be in the relationship.