Lamar Sheds Light on Healthy Teen Relationships
Often the conversation surrounding teen relationships is negative and sometimes misleading. We are warned about abuse, trauma, and violence, but there are healthy relationships to highlight here at Lamar.
During such a pivotal and stressful time in a teenager’s life, he or she may struggle to set the foundation for a healthy relationship, all while balancing and navigating high school.
Although not easy, these five Lamar senior couples have endured the journey and now have advice to share to others out there.
“Over time you have to change just a little bit for your partner but in high school you’re changing anyway, so I think it’s important to change together,” senior John Casey advises.
In the midst of so much change and growth, the couples strongly emphasized the importance of trust and communication.
“I don’t always express myself how I should, but over time I realized I need to talk to him about how I’m feeling, because it strengthens the connection between us,” Sahayli Leon shared.
In response to Sahayli’s sentiments – her boyfriend Keegan Kelley replies “I think communication is one of the most important things in a relationship, you need it to stay healthy.”
While each couple handles disagreements differently, many people jokingly refer to Aaron Ramos and Yvette Guerra as the “married couple,” because of the mature ways in which they approach disagreements.
“Never go to sleep mad at one another,” Yvette shares. “It will never sit right.”
In addition to Yvette’s advice, Aaron advises to “Always do your best to fix the situation, don’t rush into things or try to make it worse, try to slow down and think about your actions.”
In such a time of change, these couples are able to reflect on how their relationships have changed their perspectives.
“Being in a relationship changes the way you treat other people, you kind of grow this sense of empathy when you’re with someone for so long,” said Sarah Suhail. “You feel that you’re becoming less selfish.”
For many teen couples, being in a relationship helps them establish more genuine relationships with others.
“It’s definitely changed the friendships that I’ve been in and the way that I look in relationships is just so different than before,” Bethanne Monroe shares.
“Being in a relationship during high school has made me have a positive outlook on school and my future,” Jacob Duque shares. “I wanted to become better, not just for her but for myself as well.”
When asked to describe their partner with one word, each couple chose words such as determined, caring, bright, smart, mannerly, and hard working.
It’s important to note that while interviewing each couple, it was easy to notice the unspoken understanding they had for one another.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today without her,” Aaron reflects.
