Enter the world alone, then enter it together with another person and decide if there are any differences between the two ways. According to childtrends.org, there are different opinions and ideas about relationships in high school because no one has the same experiences.

Relationships are a major developmental milestone in a person’s life, according to raisingchildren.net.au. Student views on high school relationships vary, but there are good comments on how relationships in high school can be managed.

Senior Shyann Jackson and Senior Alex Hamilton have been dating for three years and they both say that balancing their relationship and school is easy because they put school first and finish school work before hanging out together. Being able to manage time to get to know each other more and enjoy it, is what keeps their relationship so strong.

“The biggest advantage of being in a relationship is that I always feel like I have someone there for me,” Hamilton said. “To me there aren’t any disadvantages to being in a relationship. It only adds to my high school experience and life in general.”

Accepting each other for who they are is a healthy part of a relationship, especially in high school because lack of communication and trust is the main reason a lot of high school relationships don’t last very long, according to Carl E. Pickhardt from psychologytoday.com. He also wrote that relationships are a big part of life and are important to almost everyone so it’s interesting to see how early some relationships develop and why they are so strong.

“So to high school couples who are in-love, just because developing lasting love is difficult doesn’t mean the challenge is not worth a try. And even if love does not survive, the skills and understandings learned are likely to be beneficial in a later caring relationship,” Pickhardt wrote on psychologytoday.com.

Jackson says that high school is the perfect time to start dating and learning what characteristics people want and don’t want in a significant other in the future. It can make your high school experience more enjoyable, but being in a relationship isn’t the most important thing in high school and it shouldn’t be our number one priority she says.

“We should just remember to try our best in school, have a good time with our friends and enjoy our high school years because they’ll be over before we know it.”

According to loveisrespect.org, maintaining a healthy relationship means it’s best to speak up, respect your partner and each other’s privacy, and be supportive because both people in the relationship should know what to expect from the other.

Highly trained peer advocates from loveisrespect.org also said that unhealthy relationships are based on power and control and don’t have very much respect and equality, sometimes not at all. Both people in a relationship have to understand that a person can only change if they want to.

Senior Hannah Adams has been in a relationship for about three years and says that in the beginning of her relationship she and her boyfriend broke up because they weren’t really ready to date each other. Adams says that even though they don’t have good communication and trust, they got back together a few months later because they missed the little things in their relationship and always having someone there for each other for support and advice.

“We used to fight really badly and I would just say “I’m done” or “I can’t stand you” because I have anger issues so I just thought it would just be easier to say “bye, I’m done, I don’t want to be with you anymore,” Adams said.

Adams says that even now sometimes she will say that but they both know to just get over it. It’s not as bad as it used it be, she says. They both have grown and have changed. Now she just get mad when he’s slacking off in class or if he wakes up late for school.

Just like Adams says her relationship gets stronger as the time passes, Jackson and Hamilton both say that they both motivate each other to try hard in every aspect of life and for the future.

“Relationships aren’t for selfish people, it’s great to have someone there for you but you have to have good communication to make a relationship last as well as being open and honest,” Hamilton said.