Being in a relationship can be a ton of fun. It can also be really stressful. Relationships become stressful when you don’t know what you want or when you enter into a relationship for some dubious (questionable) reasons. Here are a few reasons that might fall into this last category:

• All your friends are dating, so you feel you need to date
• You feel bad for X, because X has never dated someone and X wants to date you
• You are bored and feel like dating someone, anyone
• People keep telling you that you need to date
• You think dating someone will increase your popularity 
• You’ve dated almost everyone in the grade, except G. G and you should date!
• So and So likes you, even though you don’t know So and So, so why not date? 

Dating isn’t a game, nor is it really a way to pass the time because you have nothing better to do. Dating involves someone else’s feelings and so entering into a relationship, no matter whether you are in Middle School or a Nursing Home, should be done with thought, care and respect.

So when you are thinking about dating, think about what you want in a relationship. Most people date because it feels nice. They like the attention. Being around the other person is fun. They laugh a lot together. Talk about different things. And yes, sometimes people start dating because there is just something about the other person that makes them feel warm and fuzzy inside… they are attracted to a person. But that “attractiveness” will always wear off if that person isn’t very nice.

Relationships tend to work when people:

• are nice to each other (strange but true! lol)
• respect each other
• don’t talk poorly about each other
• have some similar interests
• trust each other
• are truthful with each other
• don’t suffocate each other (demand attention all the time)
• spend time together

These are just general guidelines. As you start thinking about being in a relationship with someone, take some time to think about what you want. What’s important to you? How do you want to be treated? That way, you can start out with some guidelines and expectations, a good thing to have as you begin dating…