So, Romeo and Juliet. How young is too young for teenage commitment?

Every growing child has had a crush at one point or another—maybe a cute classmate, someone you see in the halls or even a friend. 

Having a crush can be exciting, or it can be disappointing. It can also be very distracting to students. Having a boyfriend or a girlfriend can bring so much stress onto a person, and especially to students, and it seems everyone has an opinion to offer.

Teachers usually have a front row seat to watching middle school relationships develop and years of experience watching the sparks of connection. Peet history teacher Danial Oltman this long term relationships are too much for teens. He said, “They are unneeded. You have the rest of your life to fall in love. Most relationships happen because they have a lack of options, so there is really just no point. You’ll only end up getting hurt.”

Many students have a similar view. Take freshman Emily Bennett, for example. She said, “Honestly, middle school relationships are stupid. They never last long, and are kind of boring.” 

Another student at Peet Junior High, eighth grader Willow Riley, said, “People get too emotionally invested in them to the point where it’s just like, you guys know you will probably break up in two weeks, right?”

But then there are those whose experience might put the doubters to rest, those who practice best ways to make it work and key things to keep relationships going. 

Some aren’t in relationships but still have advice for making them work, such as freshman Nevaeh Mohl, who said, “Hanging out with them and actually talking to them really helps. Not just texting them all the time,” and freshman Joshua Dowd agreed. He said, “I believe that consistent communication is very important.”

There are very few long lasting relationships in the junior highs, but ninth graders Mia Ahrendsehn and Kade Kuemple have been together for two years. Kuemple said “I think it’s really important to communicate. Me and Mia talk all the time, and we’re doing really well.”