Sex & Relationships

Relationships and sex can be really great things in our lives. Healthy relationships should be supportive, loving, and fun. The good people at stayteen.org point out that every good relationship needs three key things. They are:

Communication
Believe it or not nobody can read minds. If there is something going on between you and your partner that you want changed you need to speak up and tell them. Maybe it bothers you when your partner doesn’t listen to your stories or you don’t like it when they call you a certain nickname. It’s important to tell them the stuff you like and stuff you don’t like. It’s also important to tell your partner what you are thinking and feeling in a respectful way. Good communication lets you express your needs and wants with each other and is a sign of a healthy relationship.

Trust
What if you see you significant other talking with another person? Do you trust that it’s no more than friendly chatting or do jump to conclusions and assume they are cheating? Trusting your partner that they remain true to their words and intentions is a really important part of building a healthy relationship. If you don’t trust your partner they may start to feel like a prisoner in the relationship.

Respect
Being in a relationship does not mean you have to love everything single thing the other person likes, but it does mean you can’t hate on it either. Being in a healthy relationship means respecting your partner’s likes, beliefs, opinions, values, and cultural background. You may not love everything your partner loves, but it’s still important to respect and celebrate those differences with each other.

Adapted from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy