Reply #293: Sweetie, take it from a 31 year old woman...

[a la izquierda]

you've got plenty of growing up to do. You will, be a very different person in 4 years, in 8 years, in 14 years. I thought I wouldn't be. I don't recognize pictures of myself at 17...stories about my behavior make me shudder. You are not an adult at 17-but you're getting there.
When I was 17, I dated a 20 year old. We dated for years. We might have married, and most certainly have divorced, because even though after nearly 15 years, we're friends again, we are starkly different people. Heck, I almost divorced the man I married because after knowing and loving each other for years, we both changed.

Your boyfriend may have not exploited you and that's fantastic for you. But we can't have individual laws for 300 million people. You may be "mature", but you haven't even been to college yet (assuming you're planning on going). That will be an eye-popping experience.

Sorry this is rambling...I have one heck of a flu.

Good luck-you seem like a smart young lady (and I feel like an old fart).