As a teenager, it is difficult not to get caught up in the dating scene. Plastered across magazines are photos of celebrities who are holding hands and kissing some new person. There are those quizzes in teen magazines that help you determine whether you and your crush are "meant to be". To be honest, I do not find anything wrong with dating or being in a relationship as a teenager. It is all a learning experience and part of growing up. The difficulty comes when you distance yourself from your friends when you do starting dating someone.

There is nothing more annoying than a friend who constantly ditches you for their significant other. Suddenly, it is like you are a second option. And no one likes to be a second choice. It is not fair to go from hanging out with your friends all the time to only seeing them when your "boo" is MIA. Please, don't be that friend.

I am not going to pretend like I am not guilty of this. I certainly am. When I had my first boyfriend, I hardly ever saw my friends. Then when we broke up, I realized how much I missed out on because I was too busy being obsessed with a guy. Ever since then, I have made sure to make my friends a priority and not lose sight of people who care about me.

I understand that when you fall in love, you almost always want to be around the other person. That is totally normal. It is not like people intentionally put their friends and family on the back burner. It just naturally occurs when you are spending a substantial amount of time with someone else.

All this being said, you can spend the majority of your time with your partner, but you shouldn't forget about everyone who was there before they came along. The choice is yours of who you want to be around, but a variety of people and perspectives in life is healthy.