February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness (NTDVA) Month and Westlake is doing their part to make sure our students have a good understanding of what a healthy relationship looks like! This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the organization Love Is Respect and as such they are honoring their roots of helping individuals think about what RESPECT in a relationship looks like.
Love Is Respect has done a wonderful job outlining what a healthy relationship looks like here!
"Communication is a key part to building a healthy relationship. The first step is making sure you both want and expect the same things—being on the same page is very important. The following tips can help you and your partner create and maintain a healthy relationship:
- Speak Up. In a healthy relationship, if something is bothering you, it’s best to talk about it instead of holding it in.
- Respect Each Other. Your partner’s wishes and feelings have value, and so do yours. Let your significant other know you are making an effort to keep their ideas in mind. Mutual respect is essential in maintaining healthy relationships.
- Compromise. Disagreements are a natural part of healthy relationships, but it’s important that you find a way to compromise if you disagree on something. Try to solve conflicts in a fair and rational way.
- Be Supportive. Offer reassurance and encouragement to each other. Also, let your partner know when you need their support. Healthy relationships are about building each other up, not putting each other down.
- Respect Each Other’s Privacy. Just because you’re in a relationship, doesn’t mean you have to share everything and constantly be together. Healthy relationships require space."
Check out our blog about NTDVA last year for some incredible talking points with your son, daughter, or both!
In honor of NTDVA this month's Student Workshop will feature a discussion about what true friendship looks like, because as we know, friendship is often the basis of a healthy relationship and we want our students healthy in all aspects of their lives.
Wear Orange Day is a national day of awareness where everyone is encouraged to wear orange in honor of Teen DV Month. In 2017, it will be held on Feb. 14. You can wear orange shirts, nail polish, ribbons, jewelry, shoes or anything else you can think of! Tell people why you are wearing orange and post pictures and updates on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtags #Orange4Love and #RespectWeek2017.
Click here if you would like to download the Respect Week guide to learn more about how you, your family, and friends can get involved!
Stay Healthy and Respectful, Chaps!
-Kristi Waidhofer
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