A relationship doesn't just mean what happens in your love life! Most of our important relationships with our family, friends, and teachers involve our feelings but don't involve any romance.
When you are a teenager, you have more freedom than you did when you were a kid. The adults around you are beginning to trust you to look after yourself and to make your own way. But with this freedom comes responsibility. You'll encounter new situations and new ideas everywhere: about sex, love and the way you relate to people. Sometimes it's hard to make choices, even when you know they're the right ones, especially when you care about what other people (like your friends, or your classmates) might think of you.
Relationships have their ups and downs. To make them work well, there has to be good communication and respect that goes both ways. Everyone has the right to be safe and happy in their relationships. Try not to make judgments about people in advance - sometimes the most rewarding relationships are with the most unexpected people!
What about romantic and sexual relationships?
You may be discovering that the way you feel about different people is more complicated than it used to be. It's quite normal to suddenly have strong feelings, or crushes, on certain people. You can choose whether these feelings remain deliciously private. Or you may choose to express them to the person directly, or confide in a friend.
Speaking your feelings aloud puts you in a vulnerable space. If your feelings aren't returned by the other person, you may feel exposed and rejected. Or, if they are returned, you may find yourself in an exciting new friendship or relationship.
Or you may find that someone has a crush on you but you don't feel the same about them. Try to treat this person with dignity, respect and privacy - as you would wish to be treated if it was you. Be honest and clear about your feelings.
Relationships
Dating 101
Not so straight
Ending relationships
Cheating/two timing
What if my heart gets broken?
Will someone ever love me?
Online romance
Going out with someone older or younger
One night stands and friends with benefits
Etiquette in the new millennium
Sex and the law
The art of the flirt
My parents don’t understand
