Dating in high school can expose students to new experiences, different types of people, and different lifestyles. Teenagers are able to experiment with relationships during high school to understand what they truly value in a partner. Although some may look down upon dating and complain that romantic interests can interfere with school and academic success, others believe that relationships can open up new doors and help teenagers gain more experience and a better understanding of their own identity.
Junior Aaryahi Vaidya shared her positive outlook regarding relationships during an interview, in which she explained that she thinks high school relationships offer students an opportunity to grow.
“I’m currently in a relationship and it’s been great so far. I have a partner who understands and cares for me, and I feel extremely loved,” Vaidya said.
On the other hand, Vaidya also believes that being involved in an unhealthy relationship can be detrimental to one’s mental health.
“If you are being mentally affected by an unhealthy or bad relationship, it can definitely impact your overall health, as well as your academic performance or your ability to do anything that you love,” Vaidya said.
Junior Tyler Tran believes that relationships can definitely change one’s outlook on life based on the level of experience both partners have in terms of dating.
“I had my first relationship [during] my freshman year,” Tran said. “It was with this one person that was a year older than me, and it was my first, so I was really excited.”
According to Tran, he later realized that not having much experience compared to his partner led to him neglecting his own boundaries and personal values.
“I [kind] of dove in way too fast. Being innocent and naive, I kind of went along with everything. I never really set a good boundary for myself [and] I did things that I did that I’m not proud of,” Tran said.
According to Tran, those that are learning their partner’s boundaries, as well as gaining a better understanding of their own, need to be respectful of their partner and their partner’s wishes.
“I had another relationship where the person was not quite ready for it, and I found myself being aggressive and pushy. I regret it now because I understand why they felt uncomfortable or like we were going too fast,” Tran said.
To those interested in starting relationships, Tran recommends dating within the same grade level.
“As a freshman, probably try to date within freshmen. I definitely felt that gap with [my partner] because of the differences in terms of age and popularity. When you’re starting out, you need someone with the same general level of experience as you because then you get to grow together,” Tran said.
Junior Siya Arora believes that relationships can have lasting impacts on students and impact their lives in a positive way.
“It can be both positive and negative. For example, it can help you in terms of feeling more secure and having a strong bond with someone, but I also feel like it can sometimes distract you from your own goals if this one person becomes your entire life,” Arora said.
According to Arora, although having an understanding of relationships and whether they are healthy or not can be difficult for some students, she encourages those that feel that they’re ready to feel confident in themselves and their abilities to be a partner.
“It’s like having another friend that you feel loved by and supported by, and I think that those relationships are good for anyone,” Arora said.