Strengthening My Relationship
What is a healthy relationship?
Healthy relationships have some key ingredients such as mutual trust, open communication, shared interests, boundaries, and values. They are equal, respectful, and safe.
Everyone deserves a healthy relationship, including you!
When we talk about a healthy relationship, we’re talking about dating, friendships, and relationships with our parents or caregivers. Healthy relationships are everything when we’re teenagers and young adults because they provide encouragement as we discover who we are and who we want to be.
Life. As Told By Youth contributors have some distinct ideas about what makes a relationship “healthy.” Do you agree?
Tell us why or why not.
Love is respect defines dating as two or more people in an intimate relationship. The relationship may be sexual (though it doesn’t have to be), it could be serious or casual, gay or straight, monogamous or open, short-term or long-term. What are the characteristics of healthy dating relationships?1,2
- Respect—For yourself and your partner.
- Equality—Neither person has an unfair advantage over the other due to age, power, money, or other factors.
- Open communication—It’s important that both of you feel comfortable saying what you’re really thinking and feeling.
- Honesty—Telling each other the truth, keeping your word, being faithful, and being able to admit when you’re wrong.
- Trust—It takes time to build trust so that both people feel safe and understand the “give and take” of a relationship.
- Problem solving and fighting fair—Listen to each other, respect your differences, compromise, and figure out what to do differently in the future.
- Friendship, admiration, and affection—Friendship is the basis of any relationship. The person you’re dating should be someone you like, admire, and respect. Never try to change your partner or to be someone they’re not.
- Proactively expressing consent—The two of you engage in a sexual relationship you’re both comfortable with, and neither person feels pressured or forced to engage in sexual activity without consent. Remember, consent is a proactive, not reactive behavior in a healthy relationship.
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- Characteristics of Healthy Dating Relationships, p.a.pa. parenting and paternity awareness, 2013
- Adapted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2005). Choose respect community action kit: Helping preteens and teens build healthy relationships.