Adjusted Philosophy 106: IS IT WRONG FOR A YOUNG ONE TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND?

When children have reached an adolescent age, they seem to get attracted to the members of the opposite sex. This makes it seem that having a relationship at this stage is normal. Little wonder over 70 percent of school children between the ages of 10 to 18 years all have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Why is this urge among teenagers on the rise? What are some of the factors to consider before taking such a decision?

WHY THE URGE

Granted, it is only natural for children who are entering puberty to be sexually attracted to their peers of the opposite sex. But this stage of life is often associated with confusion on the growing young one as to some of the feelings he/she may be experiencing. That is why parents who have children of this age group have a lot of work to do in guiding and helping this young ones to understand themselves and not to give in to pressures from their peers to conform to immoral lifestyle.

Furthermore, some teenagers entertain the idea of having a boyfriend or girlfriend because of some of the material benefits this may offer them. They often hear their peers discussing some of the material gains of entering into such untimely relationships. Hence they too wish to feel accepted and enjoy such benefits. This makes them an easy prey to the allures of a potential boyfriend or girlfriend.

THINK BEFORE YOU LEAP

While such premature relationship may be celebrated among today’s youths and portrayed as glamorous to delve into, many factors need to be given serious consideration. How have some of our teenagers who go into such early bond fared at the long run? Without mincing words, it has been observed that the negative results of such far outweigh its acclaimed benefits. The following are some of the ugly outcomes of teen relationships:

• Teen Pregnancy: Most of the teenagers who go into such romantic relationships are often enticed to experiment with sex which sometimes results to unwanted pregnancy.

• High Rate of Abortion: By experimenting with sex, some teenagers have who got pregnant have often resorted to various means to terminate the pregnancy which gives rise to the high rate of abortion in today’s society. This in turn has also contributed to high mortality rate among teenagers.

• High Rate of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Studies show that a good number of the victims of HIV/AIDS are young adults who contacted the virus while in their adolescent years.

• Low Self-Esteem: Many young ones who go into such premature relationships later have feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem when they reminisce on certain things they indulged in while in such relationship. They often feel dirty and exploited.

• High Rate of Broken Relationships: Most young ones who ventured into premature dating due to infatuation often discover later on that the individual with whom they once were in a relationship does not really fit into their choice of a spouse. This often results in heartbreaks due to severed relationships.

The list is endless. How much better it is for the young ones to grow up and understand what relationships with the opposite sex entails before diving in. Many adults today who were protected from such early relationships by their parents or circumstances often look back to their youths with appreciation to those loved ones who restricted them. Their present lives are dignified and they enjoy high self-esteem as a result of the high moral standard with which they were raised