How to Keep a Teen Boyfriend

Keep your dating life social and hang out with the whole gang.
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After what seemed like months of crushing on the cute guy from calculus, he finally asked you out. Since then you've been on plenty of seemingly stellar dates. As the two of you got closer, you both decided to make it official and start a serious relationship. That said, you aren't entirely sure how to keep your teen guy interested in you for the long haul. Keeping your boyfriend takes a blend of caring, consideration and confidence that he needs to notice.

1 Avoid Accusations

If your constant phone calls seem more like a police interrogation than caring chit-chat, your apparent lack of trust isn't a trait that he'll like. Even though some jealousy is completely normal, when it goes overboard you have a problem, according to the article "Am I in a Healthy Relationship?" on the TeensHealth website. Remember that you are each allowed to have your own friends, even if they are of the opposite sex. When your guy talks to a girl, avoid making accusations. If you truly trust him, there's no reason to act suspicious or outright tell him to stop.

2 Stick to Your Word

In order to trust you for the long haul, your guy has to know that he can depend on you to do what you say, according to the Stayteen website in the article "What's Your Relationship Reality?" Keeping your guy around means making sure that he knows you're reliable. For example, if you say that you will drive your guy to school every day, don't ditch him to pick up your BFF instead without giving him a heads-up.

3 More Than a Little Respect

Hearing you say "Why do you want to watch that football game? It's so stupid" isn't something that will keep your boyfriend coming back. Respecting your guy's opinions, beliefs and values is essential in a healthy relationship. This also includes respecting his boundaries. Say, for example, your boyfriend has made it more than clear that Friday nights are "boys night." If you start nagging him to snub his buds and spend the evening watching movies with you, the lack of respect for his boundaries may push him away.

4 Be You and Me

Even though it's tempting to change who you are to better impress a boy, your guy started dating you -- not a clone of himself. The more that you lose yourself in your relationship, the less healthy your coupling becomes. Keeping your boyfriend, and a positive relationship, means maintaining separate identities. If your guy is an art lover, don't suddenly start following him to museums to make him happy. Explore your own interests instead of just following his.
