TEENAGE RELATIONSHIP

• Romantic relationships

  • A major developmental milestone
  • Come with physical, social and emotional changes during adolescence
  • Linked to growing interest in body image, looks, independence and privacy
• Romantic relationships for teenagers

  • Can bring lots of emotional ups and downs
  • Can lead to a deeper capacity to care, share and develop intimate relationships
• When teenage relationships start

  • From 9-11 years, child might start to show more independence and interest in friends
  • From 10-14 years, child might want to spend more time in mixed gender groups, which might eventually end up in a romantic relationship
  • From 15-19 years, romantic relationships can become central to social life, and friendships might become deeper and more stable
• Many teenagers spend a lot of time thinking and talking about being in a relationship
• In these years, teenage relationships might last only a few weeks or months
• It's also normal for children to have no interest in romantic relationships until their late teens
• Identity crush

  When you find someone you admire and want to be like
• Romantic crush

  The beginning of romantic feelings, about imagining another person as perfect or ideal
• Romantic crushes tend not to last very long because ideas of perfection often break down when you get to know the other person better
• Not all teenage relationships include sex, but most teenagers will experiment with sexual behavior at some stage
• For 3-10% of young people, the start of puberty will mean realizing they're attracted to people of the same sex
• A larger number of young people might develop bisexual attraction
• Responding positively and non-judgmentally is a good first step when someone feels confused about their feelings or attraction to someone else
• Break-ups and broken hearts


  Part of teenage relationships, might be played out in public
• Being hurt is just part of the process, and moving on is not just a constant process - you must need time and space to heal all the pain
• Ways to become better in a relationship

  1. Get more sleep

  2. Take action (express gratitude, avoid hunger, focus on humility, spend quality time together, be kind to yourself)

  3. Positivity

  4. Understanding

  5. Giving assurance

  6. Self-disclosing

  7. Openness

  8. Sharing tasks

  9. Involve networks
• Ways to become responsible in a relationship

  1. Be responsible for what you think and say

  2. Be responsible for what you promise to do or not to do

  3. Ensure the relationship is mutually beneficial

  4. Respect the other party or parties involved

  5. Be ready to provide support when needed