Your Favorite Single Lady Learns About Love

Most middle school flings usually don’t last long. I like to think of them as learning experiences for more serious relationships. I’m not saying they can’t last; I’ve seen a few that do. To be exact, I know two people that are still with their middle school partner… out of 20 relationships! When I interviewed my friends, they discussed what being in a middle school relationship was really like. 

“My middle school relationship was really rushed. We said I love you within the first few days!” -Emily Barnes (‘23)

In Emily’s interview, she talks about her manipulative ex with which she had a rushed relationship. She said her middle school relationship came with a lot of baggage. He asked her out to the 8th grade dance. Shortly after, he just assumed they were dating, so she went along with it. Emily never got properly asked to be his girlfriend, and still talks about it to this day. I’m just kidding! She didn’t say it was all terrible. For example, she said her middle school ex was loving, nice, and cared about her. How sweet! 

“I hate him.” -Emily Barnes (‘23)

I’m not sure if you watched my short introduction video but as you can tell Emily is not a fan of her ex. Could it be because of the cheating? Or maybe just the fact that it’s her ex? Let me tell you… it’s neither. Her ex was not loyal, but she came to peace with it and decided to keep negative energy as far away from her as possible. Let’s give her a round of applause. 

“In middle school, you are still young and getting to know yourself better and how you feel.” -Jonathan Polanco (‘23)

Jonathan discussed  his two relationships and how he didn’t feel ready for a relationship in middle school. He says that he was more immature and didn’t know what he wanted. In middle school,  he didn’t want anything serious and if he did, he wasn’t sure he did. His experience was a bit messy but definitely formative.

“We would hold hands but never go out,  and we just threw around the words 'I love you.'” -Jonathan Polanco (‘23)

Jonathan told me in his interview that he would talk to his middle school ex a lot when they dated, but they never hung out. He also said that saying “I love you” was common even if they didn’t mean it. They did only last about a month, so that’s concerning… middle school!

High school is a time where most people get to better know themselves and their peers. We expand their horizons with new experiences. In relationships, people enjoy themselves and have a good time going out together. High school love birds are fond of each other and go out more often to restaurants and the movies. My friends discussed their perspectives on high school relationships.

“He gives me his passwords to everything, I rarely go in it but that's saying there’s nothing for him to hide. He trusts me, and I feel the same.” -Vanessa Spataro (‘23)

Vanessa is currently in a relationship, and she says it is going very well. They both trust each other and have great communication. She has his social media passwords and he has hers but they don’t do anything on each other’s accounts. Vanessa and her boyfriend go out very often and he has a good relationship with her family. She says that they get along very well and never run out of anything to talk about. “My family is just used to him at this point,” is something she says to explain how often they see each other. Having a good relationship with your partner's family seems very important. Not only will it make hanging out easier, but maintaining health relations with their family will make your relationship stronger and happier.

“I feel like a high school relationship has more drama because we all get older and everyone looks different so there is a lot more competition. When you’re a senior…  you must decide [whether] you’re going to last with your partner.” -Vanessa Spataro (‘23)

Vanessa personally prefers a high school relationship because you are more mature; you can mature from your previous relationships and learn from your mistakes. She said that in her middle school relationship her partner showed little care for her and they didn't have much in common. He showed no effort in going out and she felt it was just boring. They had nothing to talk about and it mostly felt like a forced relationship. Vanessa learned that she has to be with someone that has a common interest with her and that shows he cares for her, enough to make plans. 

“The high school relationship was a lot more chill.” -Emily Barnes (‘23)

Emily believes that her high school relationship was very calm. They never said I love you, they never kissed, and they hugged about once. When she told him it wasn’t going to work out, all he said was “Okay” and the two remained friends.