Once you get to high school, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for you. Suddenly you aren’t limited to dating the boys you’ve known since kindergarten—the same ones who put gum in your hair or threw spitballs at you from across the room. Nope, you can leave those immature losers behind for a sophisticated older guy.

Guys often get a bad rap for being the ones who pressure their girlfriends into having sex. So it may surprise you to know that a lot of guys (8 out of 10 if you want to get exact) say that they feel pressured by their friends, the media, even girls, to get busy doing “it”.

It may be one of the seven deadly sins, but envy or, more accurately, jealously can sometimes be a good thing in a relationship—if you don’t let it get the best of you.  Think about it: if you’re even the slightest bit jealous if another girl or guy who tries to cozy up to your bf or gf, that could mean you have deeper feelings for them then you realized. Which could lead to a really meaningful relationship.

You’ve probably realized by now that relationships take work. A lot of work. Attraction often gets things going, but if that’s all the two of you have in common, your relationship will get old fast. (Even the hottest fires can only burn for so long). Whether you’ve just started dating or have been together for several months, these tips can help your relationship flourish.

Sometimes it can be almost impossible to look at your relationship objectively. But if you’re concerned that your partner is abusive, your instincts are probably right. Go through our dating abuse checklist and see if your partner has said or done any of the things below. Can you answer agree with some or many of the statements below? If so, it’s time to think about getting help and getting out.

Dating abuse might not be something that everybody talks about, but that doesn’t mean that it’s uncommon.  Consider this:

Relationships are a tricky topic…if you’re in one, there’s a million questions (am I happy? Is he right for me? Should we break up?) and if you’re not, there are a million more (when will I meet someone? Will dating my friend ruin the friendship? Am I the only single person left in the world?). But the key to any relationship is to make sure that it’s healthy—that both parties are happy and that their needs are being met. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. Getting into a relationship and making sure that it’s healthy takes some serious work. Here are our tips for making sure that you’re on the right track.