Healthy Relationships

    All sorts of relationships

    Love should never hurt

    Stay safe, get help

We have all sorts of relationships. The nice neighbors next door. The co-worker who always sends funny cat videos from YouTube. Our family members (even the annoying ones…) and friends. Having these folks is one of the best parts of our lives.

Most of us also form romantic relationships. Ah, the joy of finding someone new to date; the sizzle and passion of sex; falling in love and making a commitment, perhaps even for life. Good, good stuff. Hooking up with our sweetie (or our "boo") can give us so much pleasure and happiness. For many of us, intimate relationships also bring a sense of stability and security.

Truly good relationships take time and energy to develop, and should be based on respect and honesty. This is especially important when you decide to date someone. While it’s important that dating partners care for each other, it’s just as important that you take care of yourself! 

In a healthy relationship, both partners:

• Are treated with kindness and respect
• Are honest with each other
• Like to spend time together
• Take an interest in things that are important to each other
• Respect one another’s emotional, physical and sexual limits
• Can speak honestly about their feelings

A FEW WORDS ABOUT SEX Don't let anyone pressure you into having sex. Sometimes a partner will try and talk you into having sex by saying "you'd do it if you really loved or cared about me!" Don't buy it! If they truly cared about you, they wouldn't try to force you to do something you aren't ready to do. It is always ok to say no! If you're sexually active, it's important they take precautions to reduce the risks: The only sure way to avoid getting pregnant-- and to avoid sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs/STIs)--is not having sex. If you do have sex, use condoms every time, from start to finish. Being on the pill does not protect against STDs/STIs. Don't let partners talk you into having unprotected sex. Just remember there are over 19 million new cases of STD/STIs in the U.S. each year, and about half of them are among young people in their teens and 20s. Most cases DON'T have symptoms, so a partner might have an STD/STI and not even know it.