I'd love to have a conversation with my younger self - I'd have plenty to say, that's for sure. For starters, I would tell myself in a very loud voice, "YOU WILL NOT MARRY YOUR HIGH SCHOOL BOYFRIEND." Because it's true. I'm not with any of the guys I dated in high school, and chances are, you won't be either in a few years (or months, or weeks, or days).

You probably won't marry your high school boyfriend. I know this is a debatable topic, but I think it's safe to say that most people would agree with me here. Though we all catch feelings and think we may have found "the one" in tenth grade, most people who date in high school don't end up married to each other. Why?

Because high school relationships are not as great as people act like they are. Teenage relationships have a long list of cons that usually ends in heartache, not in marriage. I could literally write a dissertation on "Why High School Relationships Are A Waste Of Time," but I'll spare you and just hit the high points.

One of the biggest issues I have with high school relationships is the fact that they lead to so many wrecked friendships. I've ended friendships over a guy, I've had friends abandon me to follow their boyfriends to the ends of the earth, and I've watched as girls wreck friendships I have with their boyfriends based on pure jealousy and insecurity.

High school relationships usually end friendships and can effectively eliminate the possibility of having meaningful friendships in high school. If you're spending all of your time playing 8 Ball with your boyfriend instead of spending quality time with your gal pals, you're literally living the lie that high school relationships will last, when they won't. You're going to end up with no real friends and no boyfriend either.

Teenage romances can also teach you to rely on someone else for validation and affirmation, which is absolutely unhealthy for anyone, especially high school girls. You should never rely on a guy to make you feel good about yourself because your worth has nothing to do with anyone else, but it has everything to do with who you are and how you treat other people.

Plenty of boyfriends all around the world hype their girlfriends up on the daily, but that doesn't mean their girlfriends are truly kind or loving. It just means that they know how to validate their girlfriends. Your worth doesn't come from a guy. It comes from the Lord, and He is the one you should rely on for affirmation, not the boy you sit beside in church and try to control.

The feeling of a high school romance is a far cry from love. More than anything, it's lust. Boy meets girl, they find each other attractive, they think they're in love. I've seen it a hundred times and lived it a couple of times. Once things get physical, the two lose interest in one another and see that neither of them is marriage material. Relationship = over.

All in all, high school relationships are a waste of time. You should be making quality memories, building meaningful friendships, growing into the person the Lord wants you to be, and having fun. You shouldn't be babysitting your boyfriend, blowing money on boujee dates, and leaving your friends behind to attach yourself to another person like a leech.

Why people waste time and ruin friendships to please another sixteen-year-old defeats me. Your guess is as good as mine. High school is not the time to date, and you're not going to marry your high school boyfriend. Keep dreaming, sister. Find your bridesmaids, not your groom. He'll show up later.