By the time they have reached high school, many students have previously been or are currently in a relationship. It is obviously debatable whether these high school students are qualified to give sound relationship advice at such an early age. However, after asking many SHS couples for their personal input about how to maintain a healthy relationship, I have found that many students have good advice that could be helpful to other students in relationships, and even adults. By asking multiple SHS couples for their dating advice, I hoped to discover if older students or students who have been in relationships for a longer amount of time give better advice.

I first asked Addie Bowling and Kaden Hanrahan, a freshman and sophomore at Springville High School who have been dating for a total of two years. Addie says, “If you want a relationship to work out, you need to be honest about things that bother you or what you do when you aren’t with your boyfriend/girlfriend.” She also says, “Quality time, honestly. Just being together in general. It doesn’t have to be anything too special, just like hanging out or watching a movie on the couch.” Addie claims being open and honest with each other, along with having fun and spending time together is the key to a healthy, long-lasting relationship. Similarly, Kaden says, “Don’t lie and try to hide things. If you make a mistake, own up to it.” Addie and Kaden value being open and honest with each other.

The next couple I asked was Abbie Otwell and Matt Wolfe, both juniors at SHS. Abbie says her piece of advice for a healthy and strong relationship is, “Have fun and laugh; be each other’s best friends.” Matt Wolfe says, “Don’t worry, be happy.” As you can see, this couple thinks the key to success is taking things lightheartedly.

Our next couple is Aslan and Brady, two freshmen at SHS who have been dating for a little over a year. Aslan says, “Like everyone always says, communication is key. You cannot just give up in the middle of something just because you do not want to deal with it. You need to talk it out and focus on why [the other one] is mad or why they are feeling the way they are.” She goes on to say, “You need to try and understand where they are coming from.” Similarly, Brady says, “Not expressing how you feel can bring a relationship apart.” He goes on to say how important it is to always clearly communicate with your significant other despite challenges you may face.

Next, we have Kaylee Chaney and Eli Cooper, two sophomores at SHS who have been dating for four months. When asked for her biggest piece of advice, she says, “Try not to break up multiple times because it makes remembering anniversaries really hard.” Eli, to put it simply, says, “Don’t be stupid.” Furthermore, Eli and Kaylee focus on making smart decisions with their relationship and focusing on staying consistent. Even when things get hard, they strive to push through and be smart with what they say and do.

Finally, I asked Zoe McGinnis and Cameron Marchant, both freshman at SHS who have been dating for nearly six months. Zoe says, “Trust each other. A lot of issues can be avoided when you just trust the other person.” Cameron, taking a different approach says, “Smile and nod.”  Zoe and Cameron obviously value avoiding conflict and keeping peace in their relationship.

As you can see, these students seem to think the most crucial factors to a successful relationship are communication, quality time, and making smart decisions. Whether they are truly qualified to give sincere relationship advice or not, I think we can all agree they had some pretty valuable t to sadvicey about dating!