By: Marlene Cazarez

Relationships can get very tricky, especially when it comes to being a teenager. As teenagers, we deal with many different things and, at times, don’t know who or where to turn to when seeking advice. Questions students asked about relationships differed:What to do when it comes to having feelings for someone (or not)? How to know if a relationship is good for you? How to avoid hurting someone’s feelings or your own? How to become closer with someone without ruining the very little you already have with the person you’re crushing on?

While many were too shy to ask or felt as if they needed no advice, there were still a handful of students that were curious to know what do in difficult situations.

The first question comes from freshman Tommy Williams:

How do you know when to make the first move?

There is no perfect timing for when to take initiative, making the first move can be very nerve-wrecking. Not knowing how the other person may react or fearing the possibility of getting rejected can also make you second guess whether you should or shouldn’t take things to another level. The answer for knowing when to make the first move is simple. If you know that both you and the person you’re currently interested in feel the same way about each other then go for it and do your thing.

Depending on who you’re talking to, others may be more challenging to talk to and take more work to get through. When it comes to flirting, one could be oblivious or simply just new to the whole thing. When in this case the best thing to do would be to confront the person about it/ and go from there.

For both girls and boys, many girls do not expect guys to be the ones to always make the first move. Go beyond the stereotype of “boys should be the ones making the first move.” Girls are not the only ones that are shy, many boys are shy as well. So if you see that the person you are interested in is shy, make the first move and help them out.

Second question comes from an anonymous sophomore:

What do you do when you don’t have feelings for a girl?

If you don’t feel anything towards a girl, the best option would be to be honest to the person. There is no need to lead a person on and/or hurt them..  If you reach a point in your relationship where you have lost interest, you should confront them, as well. When confronting someone,be honest with how you feel. The least you could do would be to let the other person down easily and give them an explanation.Do not make them feel dumb for their feelings towards you.Lastly, wish them best for any future relationships that may come along their way.

The third question comes from an anonymous junior who asks:

How do you know if your relationship is healthy?

Although no relationship is perfect nor will any relationship ever be perfect, there are some obvious factors to prove that the relationship you’re in is simply no good for you.  For instance, your relationship should be one that you look forward to, rather than it being one you dread. Being more unhappy than you are happy is not a good sign. If you find yourself feeling this way majority of the time this is an obvious factor that your relationship isn’t healthy. Though it is okay for people to have minor disagreements on certain things, relationships should not be filled with overwhelming tension.

We here at the Gryphon Gazette hope that this advice is helpful to you – to help you shoot your shot, turn down someone in a politeful way, and figure out if you should drop that relationship or not. See you next time.

-Xoxo, the Love Doctor.