Puppy Love – What I Wish I Knew

Nowadays kids are being pressured into ‘dating’ at early ages. Relationships start as early as middle school. Girls are getting pregnant as young as 13 and kids are getting too deep into relationships too fast. Social media has a huge influence on today’s youth. Unfortunately, it portrays all of these unrealistic notions of the media’s perfect couple – which will never exist in real life.

These are all of the things that I wish I would have known going through middle school and high school:

• Be yourself!! There is no point in pretending to be someone you aren’t. The most important thing to remember is that you are good enough. You never need to change who you are to impress or please someone else.
• At this point in your life friends will last longer than any sort of crush. If you like someone and they like you back, then I would recommend just staying friends. The more you get to know one another the better of friends you will be in the long run. Eliminating any pressure down the road.
• Do not expect much! You guys are young and still discovering your true self. You should be focusing on having fun and experiencing all of the usual school activities with friends by your side. If you happen to bring a date to a school function make sure that you aren’t so wrapped up in each other that you forget your buddies exist as well. It is very easy to get absorbed in someone else. Especially at such a young age. Don’t forget who your friends are. If you can’t balance your time between a crush and friends then you might be losing sight of what’s really important.
• Do not give into peer pressure. Your peers will expect a lot out of you in order for you to be considered cool. You NEVER have to do anything you don’t want to or aren’t comfortable with. No matter what it is, you do not have to do it. Whether it’s something as small as saying something your friends want you to say or as big as a sexual interaction. You are not obligated to do anything you are not okay with. Have the strength to just simply say no.
• Be cautious with what you send to other people. For instance, just because Snapchat only allows you to see a photo or video for 10 seconds doesn’t mean that there aren’t other ways to save a snap you’ve received. If you are sending someone something you wouldn’t want your parents to know about then you probably shouldn’t be sending it.
• Don’t confuse puppy love for true love.

Are you already in a relationship? Are you worried it might not be right for you? Then check out It Takes Two to Tango.

Boyfriend just broke up with you? Check out How to Get Over a Breakup – The Bon Style.

#BonItOut – The Bon