If you could give other teens one piece of advice about relationships, what would it be? Hear what teens have to say and tell us what you think.
 

Want to hear more? We asked the teens featured in this video to tell us about the advice they give their friends about relationships and what they would tell other teens if they could. Read what they had to say here.

Would advice would you give other teens about relationships?
Stacy S.

What advice would you give other teens about relationships? 
By Amanda P.

Relationships are so exciting that it is easy to only want to spend time with your boyfriend or girlfriend.  It hurts when you are way from them, and you might only feel completely happy when they’re by your side.  Maybe, even as hard as you try, you can’t get their face out of your mind.  You might be in love.

Even with all those feelings, it’s important to remember that you still have to make time for your friends.  It’s natural to talk less to your friends when you get a boyfriend or girlfriend, but it’s not beneficial to lose contact with your friends altogether.  I have known many people who forget their friendships when they are in a relationship, and they have all ended up having to repair friendships when the relationship ends.

For example, when one of my closest friends started dating her boyfriend, she and I completely stopped talking.  When we were at school, she would either be with him alone somewhere, or she would be texting him and not listening to me when I was speaking to her.  She wouldn’t hang out with our group of friends because she always had plans with her boyfriend.  And, if we also invited her boyfriend, her and her boyfriend would sit outside of the group and not interact with the rest of us.

After two months of this treatment, we had all had enough of her behavior.  She seemed to not want anything to do with us, so we stopped inviting her to hang out.  We stopped calling her on the phone, and we no longer made an effort to talk to her at school.

Later on that year she broke up with her boyfriend, and she had to fight really hard to win back our friendship.  During the breakup she had no one to help her through it, and she spent a few weeks depressed.

It’s tempting when you’re in a relationship to spend all your free time with your boyfriend or girlfriend, but it’s necessary to maintain your original friendships.  We change a lot when we’re teenagers, and we’ll probably end up having a couple relationships throughout our teenage years.  In contrast, our friends can be as close as family at times and help us through all our troubles.  Boyfriends and girlfriends will come and go, but friendships can last a lifetime.

Amanda is 19 years old and from Monterey, California.  She loves to travel and learn different languages.  In her free time she does yoga, volunteers, and tries out new vegetarian food recipes.  Her current favorite recipe is vegan brownie cupcakes! Have a question for Amanda? Email us!

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Funding for this project was provided by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Grant Number: 90-FE-0024. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.