1) I can't answer your question on this one, I'm sorry. I really don't know. :)
2) Young love is often considered hormone-induced puppy love, and that is what you are going to find most often, but not always. I remember being 12 too and hating that no one would believe me just because I was young.
When I was 13 I was so madly in love with this boy...and you see, I realized later that he wasn't really right for me, but I don't know if that really means I wasn't in love with him. I certainly LOVED him, but perhaps that's different from being in love. I'm not sure. I still do love him and care about him very much. That never died.
When I fell in love much later in life, though, it was so clear to me because it was different than the smaller loves I'd felt before. It's true that with maturity you know better how to see someone for who they truly are and can therefore understand better what the feeling you have for them is, if you're compatible, etc.
But that doesn't mean that you're not in love at 12. Not at all. I'd just advise you, even if you really and truly are in love, to still be careful and take it slowly. :)
I'm sorry I couldn't answer both of your questions!
