I’ve been dating my boyfriend for the last four years, two of which were in high school while the other two were in college. That makes us, for a lack of better words, high school sweethearts. I know what you must be thinking. In fact, I know the exact face that you are making because people make it to me all the time. It’s even worse when I say that I have been friends with my boyfriend since I was five years old. While you may be making a face at the fact that I’m still dating my high school sweetheart, I’m here to tell you it’s not always a bad thing. In fact, it’s a wonderful thing and sometimes — just sometimes — high school relationships can last. So, what is it really like to be dating your high school sweetheart?
- They Are Your Best Friend
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To state the obvious, if you have been dating someone for that long and have been through that much together, they are easily your best friend. My boyfriend knows everything about me and not only knows what I’ve been through that’s made me who I am but lived through those experiences with me. Not only that but since we are in the unique position to have been friends since we were five, he’s experienced everything — and I mean everything — with me. Even puberty. He knew me in middle school and he’s still dating me — now that’s what I call love.
- The Transition to College is Hard
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I’m not going to lie the transition to college is hard — not just hard more like extremely difficult. It takes a lot of work to figure out who you are in college and how you fit into each other’s new lives. If the transition isn’t hard then you aren’t growing and that’s not good either. Developing your relationship into an adult relationship is an extremely important aspect of having a healthy relationship.
- Not Everyone is Supportive
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There’s been a lot of people in our lives that haven’t been supportive of our relationship from acquaintances to friends. A lot of people feel like they have room to speak into your relationship because you have been dating for so long. They think it’s important to tell us to “date other people” or “you’re missing out on the college experience.” Luckily, we are blessed with a tight-knit group of friends and two very loving families who love each other as their own that are all incredibly supportive of our relationship. We just have to remind ourselves that other people’s opinions aren’t important and that as long as we are happy that’s what’s important.
- Contrary to Popular Belief You Aren’t Together Just Because it’s Easy
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A lot of people assume that the only reason you could possibly still be dating your high school sweetheart is that it’s all you’ve ever known and therefore it’s easy. This reasoning has never made a lot of sense to me but it’s certainly not true. The real reason I’m still dating my high school sweetheart is that he makes me laugh, knows me better than anyone, is incredibly kind, can practically read my mind and I love him with my whole heart. So why should I give someone up that I love endlessly just because of the idea that high school relationships can be a bad thing?
- Your First Love Gets to Be Your Last Love
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How many people can say their true love was their first love? I’m not sure about the statistics but I’m guessing not that many. I’m so blessed with the fact that the first person I gave my heart to is the person I want to have my heart for my whole life. It’s a special relationship that not many people are able to experience and I’m so lucky that I somehow was able to find this kind of love.
High school sweetheart relationships can be tricky, especially with all the negative connotations surrounding them. But I wouldn’t change my relationship for the world. So, roll your eyes and make your comments but I’ll be spending happily ever after with the love of my life.