As a senior in high school, I have had my fair share of time to observe and experience high school relationships first hand. After dating a few boys my freshman and sophomore year, I have come to the realization that high school relationships are taken way too seriously. Many people get caught up in the initial romance and love the constant attention. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but THE INITIAL SPARK WILL FADE. Don’t spend all your time with your significant other and miss out on all the other amazing opportunities high school has to offer.

Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way. I was in a “very serious” relationship my sophomore year that lasted seven whole months. I abandoned all of my friends. When my boyfriend and I broke up, I was left with no one but my mom and dog.

At first, I thought my world was literally ending, as if the the sun would stop shining and the world would stop turning just because my relationship ended. How naive was I to really think that I would never be whole again?

Contrary to my belief, life continued, whether I wanted it to or not. I couldn’t see the big picture at the time, but that’s the thing about the teenage mind; it isn’t fully developed yet. As teenagers, we are mentally incapable of understanding what is or is not beneficial for our future selves. We are impulsive and irrational in every sense. One day, I want to get a tattoo and go skydiving, and the next, I realize that getting an anchor inked on my ankle is something I’ll probably regret when I’m 30 years old. One week, I want to move across the country for college, but the next day, I can’t imagine being more than an hour away from my home and family.

As a sophomore in high school, I was genuinely incapable of understanding true love. I was selfish and impulsive, much like any other 15-year-old.

Don’t get me wrong, relationships can  be  fun  if  you  balance your time between your friends and your significant other.

If you’re currently in a relationship, don’t forget to go out with your friends, stay in with your family to watch a movie, go to yoga, and sit in a coffee shop alone and enjoy your own company. Hang out with your significant other as much as you want but don’t take it too seriously. Understand that only two percent of high school relationships end in marriage, so enjoy the fun times you have while you can. Go on long drives in the middle of the night and bake Christmas cookies.

Don’t waste your time creeping through your significant other’s twitter favorites and getting upset when you see something you don’t like. It’s high school; don’t sweat the small things. Have the courage to be independant and make your own decisions. If it’s meant to be, it will be. In the wise words of Taylor Swift, “In your life you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team. I didn’t know it at fifteen.”