The Modern Teenage Relationship

Relationships are like a game, and you and your partner are a team. You go through various stages of the game together, battling against people, school, and all other forms of obstacles that might arise. Once you've conquered all the obstacles and made it through, you've won the game.

The game starts off easy. You and your partner are all eyes for each other, and it seems that nothing can stand in your way. You pass simple obstacles, like dealing with parents and homework, in favor of decent options, like phone calls and movie dates. Each day you spend with your partner is equivalent to three times the number of days you wish you could spend with them. Luckily, your partner feels the same way, and you both go out of your way to see each other. You think every little thing that person does is cute: the way they tuck their hair behind their ears or the way they blush when talking about you. The way they leave an exact 15 percent tip on a dinner date or the way they like butter on their popcorn. Every little thing they do makes you like them even more. That's why this stage of the game is the easiest.

Stage Two. You're starting to get to know your partner better. You know what they like and dislike, you know their favorite movie and food and color. By this time, you're probably getting close to meeting each other's parents and/or families. You want nothing more than to impress his or her parents, than to be accepted by a family that's so different from yours. Their parents either love you, and everything is nice and grand, or they hate you, and that's a new obstacle you have to deal with. But if the latter is true, your partner typically stands by your side and defends you, rather than siding with his or her parents. If both your partner and their parents are against you for some reason, you lose the game at stage two.

Stage Three. Once you've gotten through meeting their parents, you've reached a new level in your relationship. You're at the point where your movie and ice cream dates get boring, and you start trying new things together. Perhaps you scope out all of the restaurants in town that neither of you have been to, and make a goal to try them all. Maybe you set aside one night a week for a few games of bowling. Perhaps you drive around to find new parks or places to enjoy the outdoors. Whatever it is, you find new ways of enjoying each other's company. You're no longer shy or nervous around the other. You start to have more in depth conversations, perhaps learning about the other's past or just learning more things about each other. This is perhaps the best stage in the game, because you feel close to the person without feeling smothered.

Stage Four. This is when things start to turn around. I'm not an expert, I don't know why relationships are this way. For whatever reason, the little things that person does that you once thought were cute start to become annoying. When they're calculating the exact 15 percent of a tip, you become impatient, slap a couple bucks on the table, and walk to the car, instead of oogling over the amazing math skills of your partner. This is the stage that separates the strong relationships from the weak, since weak relationships don't usually make it past this stage.

Stage Five. You've been with this person for a while, and you've spent a few holidays or maybe birthdays together. You feel as if you know everything there is to know about that person. Your date nights become less exciting, but you still like revisiting old memories. You know what's special for that person, and you're not afraid to go out of your way for them. But things are turning around, as you start to push each other aside. It becomes less of an issue to impress that person, because you feel as if you already have them for good. Suddenly things seem dull and boring, and every little thing becomes a big problem. You turn from optimistic about your relationship to pessimistic about your relationship. You're not afraid to get upset with that person and they will certainly get upset with you. This is when all the backbone of your relationship is revealed, and sometimes it's not all that stable.

I respect happily married couples. It's hard to find someone who cares about you, who is willing to go out of their way to make you happy, who you're willing to put up with for the rest of your life, and vice versa. A spouse is the one family member you get to choose, and then you're stuck with them for the rest of your life. So choose wisely, I suppose?

It's funny how things do and don't work out. Most teenage relationships last only months, they don't even make it to the one year mark. Of course, we've all heard of exceptions. If only we knew those exceptions' secrets. Then we would be golden.