Healthy Relationships and Sexual Orientation

So the story goes: Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, then boy and girl become a couple! Sometimes we become overly excited that we blind ourselves from what is really going on and we don’t see that a relationship isn't as healthy as it should be. We get all goo goo ga ga and then don’t even realize that we don’t want to be in a relationship like that, but by the time we figure it out we’ve already been affected in some way. What makes a relationship healthy? Most importantly, there needs to be mutual respect. Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands the other person's boundaries. Trust is also a must. Jealousy is a natural emotion, but how a person reacts when he or she feels jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other. I mean, think about this, both individuals had a life before they met each other, a life that involved other people. If you can’t trust your partner with their own friends, then maybe you shouldn’t be together. And if it is a big problem why not hang out with each others friends. It isn’t necessarily good if it is always one person’s group of friends that the couple hangs out with, mix it up a little. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle if one person is always fighting to get his or her way. Everyone needs to make compromises, but neither person should have to pretend to like something they don't like or give up seeing friends.
I was in a relationship a couple years ago where my boyfriend was mean, disrespectful, controlling, and abusive. Some people who have grown up around this kind of behavior might see it as normal or OK, but it's not! I remember he used to get angry when I wouldn’t drop everything for him and he would keep me from seeing friends or from talking to any other guys. It's not healthy to stay in a relationship that involves abusive behavior of any kind, but of course I didn’t see that until it was too late. My friends would all tell me what I should have seen, but I just ignored them and justified what he did any way that I could. It’s not easy to see all the red flags, but there are some obvious ones.
I finally realized that I just wasn’t ready yet, so I took time off and used it to find out who I was! Relationships can be one of the best (and most challenging) things that happen to us. They can be full of fun, romance, excitement, and intense feelings, but just make sure the relationship brings out the best in both people.

Sometimes it is so hard to find someone who's right for you. So when it happens, either with the same or the opposite sex, we’re usually psyched. Does it really matter who it is as long as that person makes you happy and treats you fabulously? Most medical professionals believe that sexual orientation involves a mixture of biology, psychology, and environmental factors. In other words, sexuality is not simply chosen. Then we have those that don’t agree with that. Some believe that we can choose who we are attracted to — and that people who are gay have chosen to be attracted to people of the same gender. If we really think about it, can anyone control who they are attracted to? Some people believe that any sexual orientation can be chosen and switched by preference, like any other lifestyle choice, and if this is true, who cares? Why do we, as humans, feel the need to criticize anyone who might be a little different from us? And maybe the person isn’t even homosexual but we make assumptions based on looks which can lead to the wrong conclusion. Having a more "feminine" appearance doesn’t mean that a guy is gay and having a more "masculine" appearance doesn't mean a girl is lesbian. And what about friends that seem “too close?” Over time activities associated with sexual-orientation have changed. For example, it is assumed that same-sex kissing, especially between men, is a sign of homosexuality, but in other countries it is a sign of friendship. In my opinion, everyone should be free to love who they want to love, without being judged. Happiness comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and sexes!