Beginning with the first conversation, from talking to dating to breaking up and becoming strangers, high school relationships are no small feat. They can be valuable opportunities for personal growth, but with that comes many struggles and lessons. Learning how to navigate and handle relationships can be one of the most formative experiences for teenagers.
According to a TPH survey that 182 PHS students responded to, 75% of students think that you have to have a conversation to establish that you’re official with the person after hanging out a few times.
“I feel like you have to specifically state [if you’re dating],” senior Donovan Sar-Garza said.
According to Sandra Harewood Counseling, patience is a transformative action in our relationships. It elevates our capacity for understanding and deepens connections.
“When you start dating someone, you have to learn to be patient,” senior Angela Enkh said.
At the high school age, some teens start to wonder whether they should be dating to marry. The answer varies for everyone, and people have different interpretations and opinions.
“My intentions are just to be committed and to have a connection,” senior Sadie Shoop said.
While some students don’t date with the full intention of marriage, others consider that intention more.
“I feel like when I date someone, it’s not just to mess around. It’s purely to find someone that I wanna be with,” Enkh said. “So, I guess I date to marry, but I feel like that sounds really serious.”
According to the TPH survey, 17% of students are in an exclusive relationship, and 77% of students believe that the best sequence that leads to the most successful relationships is the sequence of friends, to talking, to dating.
“It’s easier to date someone in your circle of friends because you already have somewhat of a connection with them,” Sar-Garza said.
While some students think it may be easier to date someone you’re already friends with, other students believe that there could potentially be consequences.
Enkh said there can be repercussions of dating someone in your friend group because if there was a break up, it could destroy the cycle of the friend group.
“I have experienced rumors when I’ve gotten out of relationships, I feel like it’s pretty common,” Sar-Garza said.
Rumors sometimes circulate whenever a couple breaks up which can cause drama.
“I definitely feel like there are rumors when couples break up. If someone removes someone from their [instagram] highlights, [rumors spread],” Enkh said.
According to the MA Chronicle, the most common reasons for high school break ups are ghosting and friendzoning.
“I think most relationships end because of drama or gossip. In high school, there can be a lot of weird stuff and people don’t know how to handle it and some relationships just break up,” senior Mia Dare said.
According to Blues Program, about 72% of high school students get ghosted at least once in high school.
“When I got ghosted, I fe[lt] like it was pretty mutual but I was kinda left in the dark. I didn’t feel like he had the same respect for me as I did for him,” an anonymous senior said.
According to the TPH survey, 47% of respondents believe that typical high school relationships last around six to twelve months, and 45% of respondents believe they last around three months.
“People just change a lot in high school, so that’s a downside. It’s kind of hard to deal with [relationships] and yourself changing. But the good thing about [dating in high school] is that you gain experience,” Sar-Garza said.
According to MA Chronicle, the ability to maintain a romantic relationship later in life is benefited by dating in high school.
“It’s easier to date later in life because you’ve already been through it [if you date in high school],” Sar-Garza said. “You know how to deal with it, and how it can be when the relationship ends.”
