Veering Away From The Trend
Teens nowadays are so into relationships—as if being single is something that they cannot stand. Well, I guess nobody can blame them because the trend now is for teens to date at a young age, definitely younger than when their parents had been allowed to date. Maybe that’s why parents tend to set rules on dating for their teens—so the teens would have some sort of guidelines or limits when it comes to romantic involvement. But the question is, is this enough to shield the teens from teen dating violence?
Teen dating violence is a pattern of abuse in a dating relationship. It’s effect can be as mundane as a wounded ego on the part of the abused teen, or as severe as a psychological problem for both the abuser and the abused. In my opinion, teens need to know their dating partners on a more personal level before committing herself to that person, otherwise, the cycle of violence will continue.
We can blame lax parenting styles, we can blame girls for being too submissive, or the boys for being too aggressive, or the media for influencing patterns of teen dating violence through TV shows and movies and print ads,but the facts remain: teen dating violence remains and is as pervasive as ever. What do we do about it?
I don’t know how others would say about this, but I stand by the belief that if you are not helping to solve the problem, then you are part of the problem. So, maybe, just by knowing what our roles are and acting in behalf of that role would really make a difference. Like, for example, if you are a parent, do some baseline counseling to your teen, if you are a teen, know your limitations as well as your responsibilities.
Dating is a big step. No rush in hooking up just for the sake of saying that you’re in with the trend. At the end of the day, deciding to be responsible will prove to be a wise decision.
