Ah, Facebook. You allow me to look and judge people who I haven’t seen in nearly a decade, without having to humiliate myself by going to a high school reunion. There are a couple of recurring patterns that I’ve noticed. 1) Most of the people I knew when I was 17 stuck to the same general area and if they moved far away from their hometown, rest assured they don’t have a Facebook entry. 2) There’s a surprising number of relationships (well, two) that actually lasted from high school and are still kicking today. At the time of my first couple of high school relationships, I always kept myself buoyant by telling myself that my girlfriend and I are gonna buck the puppy love trend and make it last (yeah right). Filling out my profile on Facebook or a dating personals site, I wonder if my past self thought I’d still be single at the age I am now. I also wonder, can teen relationships last?

Of course, the people who I knew who’ve made these relationships last are still living in the same hometown they grew up in, and they’re not going anywhere very fast. They seem to have found their groove pretty early on, and they’ll be damned if they move. However, when you’re young, it’s hard to have a good grasp of the larger picture (at least if you grew up in one stationary place for most of your Wonder Years). I remember being gripped by this firm notion that “My girlfriend and I are going to be together forever! There’s no way this is going to fail!” Looking back, I have to wonder if I was suffering from juvenile stubbornness (which wouldn’t say very nice things about the couples that lasted from high school onwards), or if I’m just a serial monogamous (which would paint the puppy lovers in a nicer light).

I still think that perspective is important. The vast overwhelming majority of teen-aged relationships don’t last forever, and it helps to keep that in mind after the first breakup. I know some people would like to keep the teenage years alive for the rest of their lives, but do you really want to still be cut up or obsessed by something that happened 10, 15, 20 years ago? High school relationships are generally passing things. It’s better to enjoy those romantic flowers that some 16 year old gave you when you were 16, not 36, and then move on with one’s life. And, hopefully, move out of the suburbs where you were born and raised.

(original article)