Is HE Prince Charming?

This is a post from my lovely teenage daughter. We'll call her Sunny because of her bright disposition. You'll be hearing from her from time to time. Here is her debut.

Through the sanctuary door walks in a boy. He has curly black hair, flashing blue eyes, and a gorgeous smile. He is holding his baby sister, that must mean he is a nice guy. All of a sudden you wondered why you didn't wear your new shirt instead of this old one, why you didn't spend more time fixing your hair. Then he glances at you and smiles. Your heart flutters, "He must like me" you think to yourself.
Later after church your arms are full of your siblings Sunday school papers and as you are about to open the door he smiles that adorable smile and gallantly opens it for you. "Oh my! He must like me, or he wouldn't have opened the door and smiled" you think on the way to the car.
And all day the next day as you read your new book about the young pioneer girl who is courting the handsome young man next door, you think about how much that new boy reminds you of the one in the book. The girl in the book met the boy at a barn dance and it was love at first sight. In fact the moment they laid eyes on each other they knew they were meant to be together. You think of how it will sound when you tell your grand kids you met their grandfather in the church sanctuary. Oh how romantic it sounds.
Now I don't think there is a girl who hasn't had a similar situation. It is very easy to make yourself believe that every gallant knight who smiles at you in Wal-Mart, or opens the door for you, or sits beside you in class must be "The One". We are so accustomed to the "love at first sight" myth that many times we misinterpret a simple act of kindness or friendliness for something more.
I have done it countless times, and probably ruined what could have been wonderful friendships. So how do we break that habit?
There are many things that contribute to awakening that feeling but one thing that really affects many girls are the romance novels that are so popular to read. Now you may say " I don't read any bad romance novels, in fact they are ALL christian".
Yeah, those christian courtship novels can sometimes do the most damage to those of us who love to dream about the future and handsome knights. They portray a unrealistic idea of love. When the dashing admirer sweetly glances across the room at the lovely maiden and her heart flutters, or when he gently puts his coat around her shoulders on a cold winter evening, we girls are reminded of that every time we see a cute boy. We tend to imagine how wonderfully romantic it would be if he would do the same. And we seem to think that that is true love, when in reality it is just a superficial and passing feeling. Often times we also misinterpret acts of kindness, for romantic interest and then become heartbroken when we find out that the boy doesn't care for anything more than a friendship.
When I decided to read fewer romance novels, after a short time I began to think of guys differently. I didn't see them as potential husbands, instead I saw them as great people to be friends with.
I realized that just because he opened the door or smiled dazzlingly at me didn't mean he had a crush on me. I began being able to have real friendships with boys, something I had never done before because it had always been impossible for me to see them as anything but a future Prince Charming.
Now I am not saying you should never read books with romance in them because I know that some girls really might not struggle with romantic dreams the way many do, but I think it is worth careful consideration. When you are not fantasizing about a boy you are free to have wonderful and happy friendships that would be impossible to have otherwise.