During puberty, a teenager's focus naturally shifts away from the family unit toward deeper social interactions. The "Innocent Crush":

Integrate 2–3 carefully chosen romantic arcs per school term, paired with guided discussion prompts. Avoid silver-bullet thinking. Puberty is messy; so is love. Stories help us practice both.

This was a landmark study conducted in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) by researchers at the and the University of Antwerp (UIA) . It was part of a broader European initiative.

Valuing a partner’s opinions and boundaries.

However, in practice, the 1991 curriculum was still heavily biological. The core textbook content for both genders included:

Leo, sitting in the back, felt his ears turn that specific shade of volcanic red he’d grown to hate over the last six months. Beside him, Sarah was doodling a very intricate vine around the edge of her notebook, though her pen hadn't moved in three minutes.