Photo courtesy of Needpix Many high school relationships lead to fighting and inevitably end in heartbreak

High school is filled with lots of various teenage and young adult components, one of which is intimate relationships. Whether the relationship is meaningful or not, high school is a good time to figure out what qualities people prefer in a partner for the future. With teenage “love” also comes drama, which can produce certain negative consequences. Teenage romance can cause a lot of issues, including immature patterns like cheating, messy breakups and friends having conflicts within the relationship, among others. Some people in high school just aren’t mature enough to be in a healthy relationship, while many others can confidently say that they are.

Healthy relationships are born from experience. In my past relationship, I learned what red flags I should look out for, and I learned how I want to be treated by my partner. These learning moments don’t come naturally. People learn from others and from their own personal mistakes, and this can lead to growth in a positive direction. But what about the relationships that don’t have the needed experience? It is very hard for two people to grow together in harmony, which is a big reason why many people do not stay with their first love for their whole life. People grow at different rates, and it is unhealthy to be clinging to another person that is either growing apart from you, or in a stage where they themselves are stuck. Sadly, this happens in a lot of teenage relationships, which results in unhealthy high school dating.

For some older high school students who have been in at least one relationship, the chance of having a healthier relationship is higher because they have learned in the past about the qualities that they look for in a new partner, that maybe their old one didn’t have. This, however, is not very common in high schoolers due to their maturity levels not being as high as adults.

High school relationships absolutely have the capacity to be healthy, but they can also be destructive and toxic. It truly depends on the individuals and if they know what quality is a red flag for them when they see it. The truth is, one can’t have a healthy relationship without learning what they need for themselves in their partner. This may seem selfish, but it is the key to a happy and healthy future with a loved one. Although there is an expectation, most teenagers are just not capable of learning from their mistakes and growing as others, making it unlikely that high schoolers are able to fulfill a healthy relationship.