When it comes to marriage between high school sweethearts, only 2% tie the knot. So if most high school relationships fail, are teens wasting their time and energy on something that won’t last?
Well, not exactly.
While it may seem that high school relationships are silly, it doesn’t mean that they can’t have a positive effect. Not every relationship needs to have the end goal of marriage and three kids. Even though the relationship won’t last, it can still be a great opportunity to learn maturity and responsibility.
Furthermore, since these relationships occur so early in teens’ lives, most mistakes they make won’t affect their future that much. Mistakes such as ditching your friends for your boyfriend/girlfriend or sacrificing your interests for theirs are common faults that teens make.
Most teenage friendships don’t even last, with only about 5% of high schoolers staying friends after high school. It is safe to say that a fight with your friends for leaving them at a football game won’t matter to you in the long run; however, that doesn’t mean it’s ok to ditch your friends for your significant other.
Toxic relationships?
Studies show there is a correlation between teens who have rocky relationships and poor academic performance. Teens who have positive relationships do better academically.
High school relationships can also heighten the risk of teen pregnancies, with Oklahoma having the fifth-highest percentage of teen pregnancies in the US (the birthrate being 21.2 per 1,000 women).
The weight of relationships is also a lot to bear for young students because of their hormonal changes, and this can lead to anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. A lot of these illnesses can lead to suicide ideation, which can contribute to the 20% of teens across the United States being suicidal.
Levi’s opinion
I believe you can’t love others until you learn to love yourself. High school relationships can be great when it comes to teaching teens what it takes to love another person and about the responsibility and maturity that comes with it.
As a high schooler in a relationship, I can gladly say that it has benefited me.
I’ve learned to better myself through my academics, athletics and other areas of life because I feel like I have a greater sense of purpose. School can be pretty draining, so the fulfillment of being someone’s shoulder to lean on makes everything just a little easier.
Tegan’s opinion
You don’t need a romantic relationship to feel fulfilled in your high school career. To me, forming friendships at my age is much more important. Along with this, I don’t plan on staying in Oklahoma after high school, and having a relationship of that nature would simply hold me down.
It is important to realize that whether or not a relationship could be beneficial depends on the person. Either way, you miss out on some type of experience, whether it be having more time to figure out yourself and your identity or learning the responsibility that comes with a relationship.
Let us know your opinion over the subject by dropping a comment for us!
