It’s the stress that makes you

“True friends should respect your decision and be with you all the way.”

Beth Rowan

Relationships...they can be so complicated, but they can be so worth it. People can end up getting hurt, or they end up still being together for their 20-year reunion.

In my opinion, it's the stress you go through in your life and your relationships that make you the person you are. Tears are shed, laughter is plenty, and you always learn a lesson in the end. In the past, my relationships have taught me plenty. They have taught me about the person I am, the person I want to be, the person I don't want to be and the kind of person I want to be with.

Sometimes you may have to go through plenty of guys or girls to finally find one to your liking, but you know when you find that one. You have to be yourself, not what someone wants you to be. In a relationship, understanding the other person is an important aspect. Your actions can be confusing unless you talk and the other person understands why you do the things you do.

Sometimes I wonder why our generation can't "date" more than one person at a time. But in this day and age that would be considered being played or playing someone. What if you like more than one person? What if more than one person likes you? Do you really have to choose and have one of the people end up hurt? No, I don't think so.

Yes, it might be a little tough, but in my mind there would be so much less chaos. It could mean not getting in fights because my boyfriend heard from a friend of his that I had my arm around someone who wasn't my boyfriend

Some things can be so confusing in life and relationships. You think you know what you want, and then something else comes along and takes over without you really ever realizing it. Or you think you have found the perfect soul mate, but then you find out something about that person that changes your view of them.

Friends can have a big influence on relationships on campus. They think that you're abandoning them or they think you think that person is more important than they are.

Or if one of your friends doesn't like the person you are with, they may rag on you about that person or poke fun at you because you are with them. Instead of saying stupid things that put that person and your friend down, say something that's slightly neutral, perhaps along the lines of, "I don't really care for this person, but it's your life and your decision."

In my opinion, true friends should respect your decisions and be with you all the way.

And if that special person is really that important to you, then what other people think shouldn't affect either of you. You like that person for a reason, for who they are, and nothing should be able to change it.

Relationships are such a big part of some people's lives. So much to learn. You have to be true to yourself, follow your heart and use your common sense. That's what it's all about.