There might be affiliate links on this page, which means we get a small commission of anything you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Please do your own research before making any online purchase.
Without a doubt, there is a lot of pressure on high school students. The teenager’s whole life and future career prospects depend on how well they do in high school. It makes the time at school crucial and essential. The romantic high school relationships can put extra pressure on already occupied teenagers.
In this article, we will be exploring the pros and cons of high-school relationships in much detail.
9 Pros and Cons of High-School Relationships
As the teen’s transition from middle school to high school, they feel obligated to find a partner. This may be because of T.V.’s social pressure or influence, social media friends, and family.
Before concluding anything on the high school relationships, let us look into the pros and cons of high-school sweethearts.
4 Pros of High School Relationships:
Some of the pros of high school relations are:
1. Exposure:
Experience in various types of relationships at high school will give an exposure. Teenagers with such experience are better prepared for college and adulthood.
Relationship in high school exposes the individual to different personalities, traits, and habits. This allows adolescents to clamber through the jungle of different characters. Which, in turn, helps them decide what works for them and what doesn’t.
Also, trying new things with your partner gets you out of your comfort zone. And you can create memories that will last for a lifetime.
2. Personality Check:
Adolescence is all about exploring yourself; getting to know yourself. You are continually figuring out who you are? Who you want to be?
Having a relationship at a young age gives you a multitude of exposure. It helps the mind mature because spending romantic time and treating the other person reveals a lot about you as a person.
It would be best if you traveled the path of self-discovery and self-exploration alone. But having a relationship can help overcome a few roadblocks.
3. In-Person Time:
With the global shift to mass usage of the internet, dating has also moved online. In the world of online dating, the opportunity to engage in real-time is impossible. High school relationships minimize social networking barriers.
While being at the same school, partners get to spend face-to-face time together. Experiencing companionship, one gets to know how one reacts to things in daily life.
This makes it easy for partners to get to know each other better. This helps a lot when we are talking about sharing our lives with others.
4. Good Habits:
If you are open and ready to learn, high school relationships can teach you a few essential things. By engaging with the partner, their family, and friend circle teaches you things such as;
Respect, Responsibility, and Communication.
When having a high school relationship, try to focus on learning positive habits as it is likely that you will be carrying these skills into adulthood.
Don’t have a relationship for the sake of having a relationship. Be open to learning from it. Try to learn to respect your partner and how to treat them well.
Before starting with a relationship, get to know the person. Also, look for whether they can add value to your life.
5 Cons of High School Relationships
Despite the above-presented pros, there is a downside to high school relationships. The following are some of the cons:
1. Hectic Schedules
One of the drawbacks of high school relationships is the hectic lifestyle it brings. Homework deadlines, along with fulfilling relationship responsibilities, can lead to sleepless nights.
Lack of sleep leads to poor academic performance, weight gain, and depression. And can hamper your personal life and prospects.
Organize your time and prioritizes because high school demands a lot of hard work.
2. Break-Ups and Drama
Break-ups are painful to be at any stage of life. But having to go through one in adolescence is worst. One of the reasons for this is having to see your ex-partner around the school. For the relationship ended on bitter notes, it becomes very awkward to attend classes with your ex-partner.
You have others around you who can bring up any topic related to your ex-partner. This can make the rest of your high school time frustrating and difficult.
So it is better to avoid getting into a relationship unless and until you are sure about it. Get to know the person you like on cordial terms. And you feel that you can get along with them well only then think of having a relationship.
See Also: Fighting in a Relationship: 11 Tips to Fight Fairly and Feel Close Again
3. Effect on Friendships
Friendships also demand time, attention, generosity, care, and support. In 2018 Tel Aviv University made an exciting discovery. They found out that out of all the people we consider to be our friends, only 50% share similar feelings.
It takes time to develop a friendship that will last a lifetime. It would be best if you made conscious efforts for your friends to reciprocate the same feelings.
If you are spending most of your time at school on your partner, your friendship is likely to be ignored. This will give your friends the feeling that you are not interested in friendship. You can end up having no friends at all.
All this can make it hard for you to make life-long friendships. Romantic relationships have higher chances of ending up in break-ups than friendships.
A high school is a hard place; having the support of friends can do wonders. Work on making lasting friendships.
4. Waste of Finances
The teenage years are, without a doubt, the best years of one’s life. But the finances in these years are minimal.
As high school students, you have to depend on your parents for money. And most of the parents don’t have extra money to keep at the disposal of their teens.
Being in a relationship requires you to have a good amount of money in your hand. Hectic high school work-load and a relationship leave no room for you to earn some extra time for yourself.
Even if you have an opportunity to earn money through a part-time job, spend it on yourself. Use the extra money to do what you love, rather than spending on a partner.
5. Relation At High School Age:
Age is just a number! We all hear this all the time. But in high school, each year (concerning age) makes a lot of difference.
It would be best if you were cautious about the age gap between you and your partner. It is not just because of young ones’ being immature and older being more mature.
The older partner in the relationship may take advantage of the younger ones. They can exploit you in multiple ways. You can lose freedom and independence in your life.
Everything in your life can be at their mercy. It may be the case that they are not fully invested in the relationship, and it is a one-sided love from your side.
Luckily, this is not the issue in your relationship with the age gap; there is still one issue.
One of you will be graduating before the other and will be moving to university. And it is tough to sustain a long-distance relationship with this huge difference in all aspects.
Our Advice on High-School Relationships:
Out of all the high school relationships, only 2% lead to marriage in North America. So don’t push yourself into having a relationship just because of the social pressure. High school demands lots of hard work. Focus on your studies and career pursuits instead.
Work on your friendships, give importance to your self-discovery.
But if you are considering getting into a relationship, get to know the person before. Look for ways to create a balance between your academics and relationship. Some of the key points to keep in mind you have a high school relationship:
- Never mix your relationship and friendships.
- Oversharing on social networking is not good.
- Don’t go crazy with calls and texting.
- Avoid negativity.
- You can’t trust everyone with your relationship.
- Make communication your priority.
- Show respect to your partner.
- Don’t rush into intimacy.
- Have your personal life.
-
Don’t make things complicated.
Conclusion:
Falling in love can be all exciting for teenagers. The pros seem to be more attractive than the cons of having a relationship at high school. But know that this decision is going to impact a huge part of your life.
You will develop the perception about romantic relationships according to your experience with the high-school relationships. Whatever you do, make sure that you have weighed in all the advantages & disadvantages, and that you are taking a conscious, value-based decision.
