How can past experiences affect teens romantic relationships?
We learn how we deserve to be treated through seeing our parents’ relationships. We also learn how to be intimate with other people through family, for better or for worse. If we’re very close to a parent that has difficulty parenting, is gone a lot, or is abusive, we learn that love might involve violence, pain or rejection. Q: How do you know when a relationship is positive or unhealthy? A: Good relationships make you feel confident to pursue goals important to you. Does the relationship empower you? Does it make you feel healthy and happy in school, work, job, home? If yes, it’s a good, healthy relationship, and you should hang on to it. Unhealthy relationship are almost the opposite. The most obvious unhealthy relationships involve physical violence or forced sexual or physical intimacy. Violence can be physical (you get hurt), emotional (you begin to feel you don’t deserve respect), or threats to your safety (you’re afraid that the person may hurt you or a loved one). If the relat
