Dear Readers,

Wouldn’t you want your partner to communicate their struggles to you so that you can work them out together as a team?  Over the past few years teenage relationships have changed. In previous generations, boyfriends were gentlemen opening doors, bringing you flowers, surprising girls for no reason, talking to them about everything and not talking to other girls.  Nowadays, this interaction has changed to acting like complete jerks just because boys think that they would look weird or not be cool if they acted sweet and showed appreciation towards their girlfriends. On the other hand, today not all guys treat their girlfriends that way because they cheat, lie or are just ungrateful, but there are some who still are gentlemen and treat girls the way that they should be treated and show that they truly love and care for the person that they are in a relationship with. In order to have a healthy relationship two people have to make sure they’re willing to work together and not act differently to prove that they love each other.  There are many ways teens can have a healthy relationship and the two most important qualities are developing trust and having strong communication skills.

One way that teenagers can have a healthy relationship is by developing trust.  In a relationship a person must be reliable and have confidence in the other person to be reliable because a relationship is a bond that two people share and being able to trust that person means that you’re committed to that person and that they are there for you physically and emotionally.  In addition, you can tell that person anything and trust them to give a honest and a nonjudgmental opinion because their opinion is what means the most to you 9 times out of 10. For example, when I talk to my boyfriend about serious issues that i'm having, he makes sure to give me a honest opinion and never judges me for what I say or what the issue is actually about. My boyfriend’s opinion is something that I need as a person because I know he’s not going to lie or sugar code it. According to Sutter Health, “In any relationship, people have to be able to trust each other. This means being honest with the other person in the relationship. Having trust in a relationship also means proving to each other that you are reliable, responsible, and dependable” (Brown).

Another way for teenagers to have a healthy relationship is by having strong communication skills.  Being able to talk to each other and get your thoughts or points across builds confidence and self-esteem, because for one, you have to love yourself before you can love someone else in a relationship or else you allow yourself to get mistreated because you don't know  how to be treated and you're astonished of the idea of being loved by someone else. Furthermore, communication builds you and your partner as one. You’ll work better together and be there to support each others decisions because being in a healthy relationship is all about being able to be there for one another.  According to the article “Relationships and Communication”, communication is a much needed skill in a relationship since you can’t read your partners mind so, clear communication avoids misinterpretations that cause harsh emotions. Not every relationship is perfect, but finding a way to make things work takes time, determination and practice (Better Health). As a result, talking to each other lowers the chances of getting into small little arguments that occur regularly in relationships.  Some may oppose the idea of being in a relationship as a teen because they think those relationships aren’t healthy, they aren’t real, and they won’t last for the long run, but there are many people who end up marrying their high school sweethearts because their bonds were strong and they experienced many hard times throughout the relationship without giving up so, If they could deal with that then they could get through real world problems together.  

In conclusion, the development of trust and strong communication skills are the most important qualities needed for a teen to have a healthy relationship.  As teenagers get older, having these qualities will impact their futures because when it’s time to get settled down and married their communication skills will be better developed and talking to your spouse won’t be a problem.   Also, the development of trust in your partner will grow and you won’t have to sit around worrying about them because you’ll know that your spouse is committed to the relationship and loves you. With this, couples who express these qualities will be a good influence for their kids and raising them know what to expect in a healthy relationship will help them as they get older and it will continue down the line.  As a relationship expert once said, "Give the person you love your honesty, respect, trust, and passion ... or be prepared to watch from the sidelines while someone else does it " (Orlando).

Sincerely,

Hanna