In the world of high school dating it seems as though the normal length of a relationship is getting shorter and shorter. Weeks are praised and celebrated rather than months, months are considered milestones, and years – or even a year – is few and far to come by.

So now in an era that has dropped “going steady,” and boys and girls are tossing out “I Love Yous” like it’s going out of style, how do we create real life, long-term relationships?

First and foremost; they are still possible. For example, pictured above are 2016 Heritage graduates Jason Miller and Emily Carcot (soon to be Miller) who have been dating since the beginning of their sophomore year at Heritage. They are now engaged and have their wedding set for January of 2017.

Most simply put by Miller the three most important things that made their high school relationship work has been, “willing to sacrifice for the person that you’re with, intention – knowing what you want from it in the long run, and to know their soul and not simply their appearance (get to know them before their appearance).”

One of the biggest issues in high school relationships is drama, usually either with friends or the boyfriend/girlfriend and no one is to say who goes above who. Friends can easily feel upset or betrayed when you’re spending too much time within your new relationship.

With these pressures to be with the guys or with the girls it’s easy to quit putting in so much effort with your relationship. With this issue in mind Carcot gives the advice that, “Friends are going to be permanent, and if they’re not then they’re going to dissipate on their own.”

Yes, friends are insanely important, especially during our high school career. They help us grow, learn, and love. Yet all true friends are going to stick by our sides, whether we are in a relationship or not.

Another set of high school (almost) sweethearts are Eric Wisniewski (11), and Lauren Vanier (11) who have been together since December of 7th grade. Vanier believes that one main issue is that when something in the relationship is going wrong “people don’t want to talk about it or try and fix things, it’s just over.”

Which ties in perfectly with Miller and Carcot’s point, you have to know what you want right when you step into the relationship. Carcot says that she told Miller right off the bat that she was dating him to see if he could one day be her husband.

Now no matter if this is two years away, or ten years away, thoughts of the future should be on young lovers minds. If high school relationships started being more about “I’m in this to give it my all” vs “I’m in this just for fun” then maybe we can turn years back into the main milestones.

Gallery • 1 Photos

UPDATE: Jason and Emily Miller (Pictured Above) Celebrated their wedding on January 8th 2017. They are now on their honeymoon and afterwards will be living in their first apartment together, while attending college courses. It is safe to say that they are definitely deserving of the title “High School Sweethearts”.