I was reading the entertainment section of the newspaper a few minutes ago when an article caught my eye. It was about a promising young actress and a matinee idol who were in a controversial relationship that ended a few weeks ago. It was controversial because the young actress, known as Heart Evangelista here in the country turned her back on her parents for the man she thought she will spend the rest of her life with. The matinee idol, Jericho Rosales to local fans, has shown his true colors three years into the relationship.

You see, Jericho is known to be a playboy. Shooting an international movie, he met Hollywood starlets and shacked up with one, Heart’s driver even witnessing one rendezvous between the two. So Heart decided to break up with him and go back to her family, who despite everything that happened, with Heart badmouthing them even, welcomed her with open arms.

This is a classic story wherein a parents’ disapproval of a potential romantic partner of their child proved to be reasonable after all. Had Heart listened to her parents when they were adamantly shaking their heads over the relationship, she would not have suffered like she is suffering right now.

You know, when you are very much in love, there is nothing right to you but what you are feeling. Even if your gut instinct is telling you something is off, you ignore it because you just want the euphoria of being love continue and no one, not even your parents, can tell you what that the relationship is wrong. I am speaking through experience. Warning bells were ringing at the back of my head but NO, it was all perfect for me. Thank goodness I learned my lesson early on, before I threw away my dreams and everything my parents have worked hard for.

If any of the teens and those hopelessly in love are reading this post, I have one unsolicited advice to all of you: listen to your gut feeling. If you feel something is off, or your parents are telling you to back off, then listen to it, listen to them. Somewhere down the road, you’d thank your instinct, your parents for the warning.

And parents still know better than anybody else, even ourselves.

Believe me.