Is Dating in High School Worth It?
“It can be pretty meaningful, but a lot of your relationships in high school don’t end up being long lasting,” Stephen Skiles (’20) said.
Is dating in high school worth it?
In order to answer this question, we must define “worth it”.
It could mean resulting in a life-long relationship, or it could simply mean gaining experience and learning how relationships work.
It could mean creating fond memories to look back on, or learning how to grieve over a broken heart.
It could mean simply outweighing the cons with the pros: everything that can be gained from a relationship.
| Pros
A built in best friend Long distance can work Experience Someone to go to dances with Someone to study with Memories |
Cons
Can ruin friendships College eventually comes Premature relationships Distraction from school Drama Heartache |
During lunch, I overheard a group of freshmen girls discussing the drama of who’s going out with who and why they chose that person. I decided to slide up to the table and asked their main concerns about dating so young.
“[People] should be friends before [they] decide [they] want to date,” M.* said.
“They throw themselves into it, because they just want a relationship,” E.* said justifying her friend’s point.
They both agreed that high school relationships have a varying degree of worth, as some are founded on mutual respect and friendship, while others are based upon the experience, rather than who is involved.
Nevertheless, there is a lot of learning that occurs in the formation and upkeep of a relationship.
“It will introduce you to a wide variety of new people and friends to hang out with,” Nick Millerup (‘18) said, “You will get to experience new things that you will also experience in your twenties, so you are learning in high school like you should about topics like history and math. You’re learning about skills to build and work through relationships.”
Basically, we, as high school students, need to learn how to be in a relationship, and engage with people on a deeper and more intimate level. One can learn so much from being in a healthy relationship: communication, time management, self-value, independence.
Are relationships worth the drama, the pain, the distraction?
That is up to you to decide.
*Wish to remain unnamed
Sources:
https://brandongaille.com/20-high-school-sweethearts-marriage-statistics/
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/high-school-relationships-pros-cons
http://whshoofprint.com/opinion/pros-and-cons-of-dating-in-high-school/
