According to a survey of 50 students at RHS who either are currently in a serious relationship or were at one point of time, 23 reported infidelity in their relationship. 42 reported to having thought about it at one time or another. These statistics raise questions as to where the sanctity of high school relationships lies. Is it possibly to stay wholly faithful in a time of so many temptations and pressures? It is hard to say with things such as the affect test grades and hormones in the way.

High school students are always told that high school is meant to prepare for the real world and how easy it is now. It is true that free room and board is provided by parents and such but the complications going on inside their bodies along as minds are far from easy. This may explain why high school relationships are seemingly destined for failure.

How long the average relationship lasts depends on many factors, but those that occur over the age of 18 are proven to have better chances at survival. 28 year old Satine Moore has been with her boyfriends, Adam Ericht, for three years and can distinctly point out the differences between that and her only high school relationship which lasted three months. The correlation between numbers is only a hilarious bonus.

“It took one whole year for Adam and I to say I love you to one another. High school boy, one week. Adam and I to meet each other parents, six months, High school boy and I, about six hours. His mom gave me a ride home that very day. Everything moves way too fast in high school,” said Moore.

The four years spent deciding the future of people’s very lives is fast in itself. Not only is high school a highly stressful, but it is also a time for firsts. This mix of unknown territory and outside pressure is not conducive to easy relationships, to say the least.

The problem with high school relationships is being a teenager is a troubling time. While adjusting to all the changes going on in both your biology and responsibilities, making the right de3cisions can be hard when it comes to topics such as relationships.

While domestic violence is a terrible aspect of adult relationships, few adults realize that this problem also occurs in their sons and daughters. A study conducted by “Children Now” in 1995 saw that a full 89 percent of teens have been in dating relationships and a whopping 40 percent of all teenagers know someone their age that was beaten of abused by a boyfriend in a relationship. This is a serious problem that every parents needs to watch out for to ensure the health and safety of their children.

Another study, conducted by Silverman, Raj, Mucci and Hathaway in 2001 showed that young women who were in relationships that involved violence was more likely to abuse substances develop eating disorders, conduct risky sexual behaviors, get pregnant and even commit suicide. Domestic violence in teenagers is very worrisome for a host of reasons.

In the good news department, the number of teen pregnancies occurring in the United States has been declining since the early nineties. These decreases are found across the board, with age, marital status, and ethnicity not being a significant factor in the decrease, representing a uniform drop.

Studies show that this drop in teen pregnancy can be due to the greater use of contraceptives by teens. Lowered rates of sexual activity amongst adolescents also are a factor in the declining rate. However, the teen pregnancy rate in the United States is still one of the highest rates in any industrialized nation. The use of contraceptives needs to be encouraged by all parties, regardless of religion or creed. It a teenager has unprotected, they run a risk of getting pregnant that is approximately 90%.

One aspect of teenage pregnancy that is frightening is the number of adult males that are having sexual relationships with teenage females. In cases where a girl aged 15 to 17 gets pregnant, over 50% of the time, an adult male is the gather. A study conducted in California showed that seven out of ten teenage births were caused by men aged twenty or above.