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Relationships are the state of two people being connected. Most everyone has seen a romantic relationship in action, whether it be marriage, dating, or in the case of students at NS, boyfriends and girlfriends. Relationships can be good thing or a bad thing.
“In general, high school relationships are good,” said Brett Barnes, sophomore at NS. “They help you to develop interest in the opposite gender, as well as helping you to be more comfortable socially.”
Barnes, having been in a previous relationship, believes that the things he got out of it were mostly positive. He admits that while at times they are cringe-worthy and demanding, adolescent relationships in general are a natural part of high school.
Research from various colleges show that adolescent relationships can facilitate social growth and romantic acceptance in teenage years. Teenagers begin, around the start of puberty, to develop interest in the other gender, and appropriate relationships and dating is a safe way to show those feelings, but not all things about high school relationships are positive.
“I don’t feel teenage relationships are a good thing,” said Trevor Olson, senior at NS. “Very few of them actually work in the long run.”
Olson, having not been a relationship, feels that for the same amount of time and effort he could get a lot more out of other activities and engagements. Olson, while not supportive of adolescent relationships, believes that high school students have the power of choice, and as such can make their own decisions regardless of others’ opinions.
In the same college research, it has been found that many high school relationships can become negative. Adolescents who are not as socially adept have the potential to be manipulated by a more experienced partner in a relationship. In addition, socially awkward teens can be uncomfortable with the things a relationship demands. A simple solution: wait a little bit longer if you don’t feel comfortable.
“A lot of the time teenagers think they have to be a lot older than they really should be,” said Landon Bailey, teacher at NS. Bailey teaches health at NS, and one of the sections he teaches is on healthy relationships. With this background Bailey admits that there are some relationships that are not normal or healthy, on the other hand he sees that most of the relationships, at least at NS, are positive.
“I had a girlfriend in high school,” Bailey said. “That was both a good and a bad thing.” He said the relationship was stable, as far as high school goes, lasting for the duration of his dating years. In hindsight Bailey feels there were pros and cons due to his relationship. On one hand he was glad he was able to pursue that relationship and develop those connections, but on the other hand he feels that he missed out on meeting a lot of new people and building new relationships and experiences. Others feel similarly.
“I did miss out on meeting a lot of new people,” said Barnes, “but looking back on it, I wouldn’t change that experience.” He feels that this relationship which limited his social outreach has helped him to develop the capacity to pursue more serious relationships later in life.
High school relationships, are they good or bad? Some relationships are most definitely bad, and some are most definitely good. To those uncomfortable with these sort of social interactions, waiting is a good option too. It is not my place to tell the reader personal opinions, rather I encourage those who read this to determine for themselves whether high school relationships are positive or negative.
