Forever Young: What It's Like To Stay With A High School Sweetheart

Generation-Y tends to jump from person to person and relationship to relationship without thinking twice.

Millennials are notoriously known — especially to some media outlets — as the "Me, Me, Me" generation: fame-obsessed, self-centered and narcissistic.

With mottos like "YOLO," it's no surprise we struggle with monogamy.

High school sweethearts are a rare coupling in today's society, yet me, my sister, my parents and my grandparents are all still partnered with our high school sweethearts. (Maybe it's a genetic trait.)

Dating someone since the age of 14 definitely has its ups and downs, but ultimately, it offers an abundance of love.

The Good

You're dating your BFF. 

He fell in love with you when you had braces and were experimenting with blue eye shadow, so things can only go up from there, right.

There is truly no shame when it comes to your significant other. You can stuff your face with copious amounts of cheese fries at dinner and he won't judge you.

There is no need to be embarrassed about downing three bottles of wine and confessing your love to him.

You can call him the ridiculous pet names you've conjured up over the years (sugarmuffin is my personal favorite) and he won't care.

You two aren't afraid of snapping that selfie in the middle of a busy place in broad daylight.

There are no awkward moments in your relationship; you can trust him with anything.

Your memories are priceless. 

The two of you have been through hell and back, but you wouldn't give it up for the world. You get to look back on milestones, like graduation and prom with the same person.

Hikes, family vacations, pillow talks, smiles, laughs, first dates, road trips and everything in between are special because they were spent with your favorite person.

Not to mention, the pictures that come as a result of the memories make for great additions to your apartment's collage wall.

You can be your overbearing, crazy self. 

I've witnessed some of my friends analyze how long they should wait to text last night’s hook up or watch their phones, hoping he will text because they "most definitely cannot text first."

It is truly a blessing to be able to triple text someone without even thinking twice that it may be annoying.

No dating rules apply when you’ve been dating someone since high school.

The Bad

Growing apart is possible. 

Change is good in most aspects of life, but this is not necessarily true when it comes to your high school sweetheart.

Over the course of multiple years, big decisions, like where to attend college, which city to live in after graduation and what job to take frequently come up in conversations.

You constantly change your beliefs, values, passions, interests, hair color, etc. You may not agree on everything, and giving in to your partner's desires may make you feel like you aren't maintaining your individuality.

You're playing the waiting game. 

After eight years of dating the same person at such a young age, it is easy to bring up the scary stuff that men don't like to hear, like engagement, marriage and kids.

You want to start your life with him, move in together and wake up next to each other every day so badly, but you also want to finish school and be successful in your new job.

The concept of "future talk" can easily ruin your relationship. Sending your significant other your "I Do Day" Pinterest board could be terrifying, so it is important to try to enjoy the present instead of waiting on the future.

The Ugly

You've come across the "what if" question. 

There is only one thing I can think of that is truly ugly for high school sweethearts, and that is the question of "what if?" What if you chose someone else?  Would you be happier? Sadder? Living in a different location? Working at a better job? Having more fun? You get serious cases of FOMO at times.

It's true that it's okay to sacrifice a little for the one you love, but the honest truth is that asking "what if?" will end your relationship.

The great thing about dating for so long is that when you come across this question, you can talk about it with your SO and go from there.

You've chosen your high school sweetheart for multiple reasons, and those reasons are why you continue to stay in love with him.

I'm a firm believer of fairy tale romances, happy endings and soul mates.

Fate brings people together for a reason, and when you've found your person you know it, regardless of what stage of life you are in.