Couples. They’re everywhere we look. It seems that you are nothing unless you are one half of a dynamic duo. As a young person, this is the time that we should take to enjoy ourselves, expand our horizons, make new friends and gain independence as we prepare to fly the nest. However, a lot of people in their teens and twenties are in relationships, whether it be monogamous or not. Should we be settling down at a young age, or should we be more interested in exploring the world and figuring out who we are?
Some people are extremely committed to their relationships and are happy to be faithful while others engage in open relationships. I can see why young people may go for the option of an open relationship as it gives them the freedom to meet other people.
On the other hand, I feel that an open relationship slightly defeats the purpose of being in a relationship and it most likely wouldn’t work out in the end. There is no trust there because both parties have been allowed to act like a single person. I do accept that in the college years people may not want to ‘settle down’ and if it works for you then go for it. This is the time when we should experiment and find out what we want for ourselves and what we need from a possible significant other.
My opinion of the dating scene in Ireland has probably always been quite low when we compare it to the openness of dating in America etc. Their logic is if you like someone then you should ask them on a date. This is much more romantic than when we go to a nightclub and someone attempts to chat us up, while slurring the words and spilling a drink on us. Not attractive.
Nevertheless, the older I get the better it seems to get. The notion of a ‘”fuckboy” or “fuckgirl” exists more often when talking about 18-20 year-olds. There is a certain difference of maturity in an 18 year-old and a 23 year-old. Of course, I don’t want to tarnish all teenagers with the same brush in terms of how they behave on a night out, or how they approach relationships. This is purely based on my own experiences. But there is a general protocol that people seem to go by at this age. It’s not even necessary for me to write what it is because it is nationally recognized in Ireland.
Student nights, in particular, can go two ways. Either you hang out with your friends and nobody bothers you, or what can often happen is you get lost and then basically any single person will haunt you until you do find someone you know. With the same token, this is also how I have met some of the soundest people on the planet. That’s not even an exaggeration.
Basically, what I’m saying is to do what makes you happy and don’t feel pressured into getting into a relationship just because everybody else is. The best things always comes naturally.