Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and maybe this year, amid a pandemic, you have found someone special. Since most of the readers of this column are younger, perhaps this might be your first real crush or relationship. Young love is something you only experience once and feels often the most intense because you are experiencing it for the first time. Here are some tips on how to manage the relationship and make it go more smoothly.

Firstly, don’t ever miss out on opportunities for your future because of your new relationship. I know that you think hanging out with your new boyfriend is better than studying for your test tomorrow, but make sure your first priority is your future. Your first love doesn’t always last forever, so make sure to think about what you want in life and have those next steps planned out before devoting all your time to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

Don’t lose friends because of your new relationship. Your friends were there before your relationship, and they should be there throughout and afterward as well. Your friends can help you have fun and have a full life outside of your new relationship. Friends also can see through the things that you can’t, so if your new partner is giving off weird signs, your friends might notice it before you will and can give you a new and different perspective.

Be safe when you are with your new partner. If this is your first relationship, you need to understand and figure out your own boundaries. You have never experienced this kind of relationship before, so there may be sides of it or expectations that you haven’t yet encountered. Take the time alone to decide what you do want out of this relationship and what you don’t want from it. Then, communicate this to the other person. Make sure to hear their side out, too.

In the end, take the time to enjoy this period of your life. Take the time to feel the new love and grow. Once you are in your first relationship, there is no redo or another first ever. As you get older, your romantic relationships will change and evolve. That’s why young love is often referred to as “puppy love” because a dog is only a puppy once, and that first love feeling is quite special. It doesn’t happen the same ever again. As you get older, you will learn more about yourself and your romantic relationships that will change them, hopefully for the better, so you can handle any difficult challenges thrown your way later on in life. But for now, enjoy your young love for as long as you can.